Saturday, November 27, 2010

A judge in the High Court in Aberdeen, Scotland has criticised the care doctors gave to baby Alexis Matheson. Lord Uist made the comments while sentencing Mark Simpson, who was yesterday convicted of murdering the six-week-old girl.

Simpson, 29, will serve at least twenty years of his life sentence after he attacked Alexis — the child of his then-girlfriend Ilona Sheach, who he blamed for Alexis’s wounds — over the course of a month. The child suffered broken ribs and brain damage. Lord Uist said staff at Woodside Medical Group might have been able to prevent the death but failed to realise the baby was being hurt deliberately.

Sheach had initially been unable to get an appointment at Aberdeen-based Woodside for her daughter; instead, Dr Mohammed Athar spoke on the phone with Sheach and prescribed three drugs without seeing the infant. When she did see a doctor the following week despite being, said Lord Uist, “seriously concerned” for Alexis’s health, the doctor she saw — Linda Mackay — believed Sheach’s explanation the baby was constipated. She felt Alexis’s blood-red eyes were due to straining; a consultant neurosurgeon testified at trial that this did not explain the subconjunctival haemorrhages in the eyes.

That consultant felt a referral to a paediatrician would have been approrpiate. A consultant paediatrician told the court if Dr Mckay had phoned one Alexis would have been urgently hospitalised. These circumstances have led to calls for legislative changes, according to The Scotsman, which compared the death to the recent Baby P case in neighbouring England. Lord Uist also made this comparison, saying “Scottish health authorities have to treat this case with a similar degree of importance and urgency” to “[t]he Baby P case down south”.

Lord Uist was “very disturbed” that “nothing was done” following Dr Mackay’s assessment. He also criticised the delay in seeing a doctor, saying “[i]t is my opinion the appointments system operated at this surgery may require urgent review so as to ensure children requiring urgent attention receive it by being seen by a doctor.”

He continued “[w]hether the death of baby Alexis could have been prevented had she been so referred is a matter which, in my opinion, merits a very full inquiry. The training of GPs, and also health visitors, to detect signs of non-accidental injury may be a matter that requires further consideration.”

The same day as these comments, Crown Office announced that a fatal accident inquiry will occur. “These are very serious criticisms by Lord Uist of the way the health services operated,” said Scottish Conservatives health spokesman Murdo Fraser. “Clearly, there were serious failings in relation to this baby’s treatment and lessons have to be learned from this case.”

The health board stated “NHS Grampian and the Woodside Medical Practice would like to extend their condolences to Alexis’s family. We understand that Lord Uist has issued a statement that it is critical of perceived failings in the care given to Alexis. We will consider these comments very carefully.”

The Scottish Government has also taken note. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Alexis Matheson,” according to a spokeswoman. “We continue to monitor the situation very closely, and will await the findings of the fatal accident inquiry. Following this we will work with the health board to determine any necessary changes and ensure that any lessons are learned.”

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Microsoft Global announced that Xbox 360 first-person shooter Halo 3 launched world-wide during September 25 to 27. This launch of Halo 3 focuses on strategy, shooting, co-operating, and global linking between different languages.

In the United States, more than 10,000 retailers opened their stores at midnight on September 25. They provided a Halo 3 painted car as a grand prize. Gamers lined up for hours in excitement for the long awaited game to come out.

Shane Kim (Director of Microsoft Games Studio) awarded the first gamer who lined up for the launch at the Best Buy store in New York City, taking pictures with Jim Cush who dressed as “Master Chief”, and remarked that other 37 countries will play this game with different languages except English, with the sales of 10 million game copies.

In Taiwan, after Microsoft’s local division separately invited Taiwanese Band “Mayday” last Sunday (September 16) and SBL Yulon Dinosaur Team Players (Hsueh-lin Li and Chih-chung Chen) 4 days ago (September 22) at the “Halo 3 Pre-launch Carnival” in Taiwan, the company invited famous model Ruru Lin from Catwalk Co., Ltd. for the launch, and held a friendship match with 4 players who lined up from first place to fourth place.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Hong Kong held a “Halo 3: Ultimate Collection Exhibition” launch activity to show the Halo series figures, posters, game packs, and history. The first Chinese version of “Halo 3: Midnight Ultimate Madness” was published prior to Taiwan’s and USA’s release, at the Grand Century Place in Mong Kok, Kowloon in Hong Kong.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Wikinews interviews Lawrence Douglas, Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amherst College, on questions of the fairness and credibility of the Saddam Hussein trial, and the purpose, conduct and impact of courts trying international law crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Prof. Douglas is the author of The Memory of Judgment: Making Law and History in the Trials of the Holocaust (Yale University Press, 2001), an acclaimed study of war crimes trials. His writing has appeared in venues including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and The New Yorker, and he is a frequent contributor to the Times Literary Supplement.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Pennsylvania lost 41,000 jobs in February, the largest one-month span of job loss in the state in more than 13 years. According to media reports, about 1 in every 140 Pennsylvania jobs were lost in February, marking the worst drop-off in a single month since January 1996.

Since the recession began, Pennsylvanians have lost more than 100,000 jobs, leaving the state with less jobs than it had in July 2005, according to state figures.

“It’s clearly beginning to hit Pennsylvania in a way that it hasn’t so far,” Mark Price, labor economist with the Harrisburg-based Keystone Research Center, told the Associated Press. “Hopefully this is a blip, but we’re going to definitely continue to lose jobs, hopefully not at this pace.”

Governor Ed Rendell announced the numbers Thursday, the same day he called on Philadelphia-based oil refiner Sunoco to reverse its plans to cut 750 jobs, or about 20 percent of the salaried workforce.

Rendell said Sunoco should rescind the cuts because last year, the company made US$776 million in profit.

“In fact, although 2008 earnings were below expectations in the first two quarters, earnings in the last two quarters of 2008 were robust, to say the least,” he said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sunoco officials said the move was a necessary response to a downturn in its oil-refining and chemical manufacturing businesses.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Several prominent Romanian artists and celebrities will gather at the Radio Hall in Bucharest on Sunday, January 23, to raise money for the victims of the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004. In an event titled Romanian Artists in Support of Asia, organised by The Reporter Foundation of Romania, artists will auction off their works, as well as personal objects, with all proceeds being donated to the relief efforts for the tsunami victims.

Media celebrities such as the soprano Felicia Filip and singers Angela Similea and Dida Dragan will also be participating, as well as Maia Morgenstern, known internationally for her role in the film The Passion of the Christ. All ambassadors accredited in Bucharest, as well as political personalities, have been invited to participate.

Romanian Artists in Support of Asia is the second major public event organised in Romania to support the victims of the recent Indian Ocean disaster. On Sunday, January 16, the Romanian public raised the equivalent of 395,000 euro in a telethon, while the Romanian Government pledged 150,000 euro for the relief effort.

The artistic event is also part of a campaign by the Bucharest City Hall that seeks to relaunch the image of the Romanian capital as a creative and colourful metropolis. The city will be the first in southeastern Europe to host CowParade, the world’s largest public art event, between June and August this year.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

A New Jersey congressman says restrictions on federal stimulus money are hurting gaming destinations like Atlantic City, and he is seeking to repeal a provision banning the use of funds for casinos or other gaming establishments.

“The demonization of gaming destinations such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City for business travel is wrong, wrong, wrong,” U.S. Rep Frank LoBiondo said Friday during a press conference in front of Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The $787 billion federal stimulus bill passed in February specifically prohibits casinos from applying for funds for infrastructure improvements and other similar projects. LoBiondo said Atlantic City is losing millions of dollars in business as a result of that provision.

Casinos’ revenues dropped 19.2 percent in February 2009 month compared to February 2008, according to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. LoBiondo said $160 million worth of business and 120,000 visitors have chosen other cities for their tourism plans due to the stimulus bill, according to Atlantic City Convention Center figures.

The administration also recently determined other groups like nonprofit organizations and local governments may not spend their stimulus money at casino properties. State officials said the rules are damaging a major pillar of the New Jersey economy.

“Are those jobs somehow less important or less meaningful than those in the manufacturing, retail or financial industries?” said Ken Calemmo, chairman-elect of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber.

Anti-gambling officials said the stimulus law does not prohibit casinos from taking advantage of tax breaks, and Atlantic City officials should not complain about the stimulus bill because the city is too reliant on an unreliable revenue stream.

“There isn’t a state, including New Jersey or Nevada, that could gamble themselves rich, any more than an individual could gamble themselves rich,” said Tom Grey, field director for StopPredatoryGambling.org. “They should’ve diversified (the economy) instead of chasing their loss.”

But Joe Kelly, chamber president, said 35,000 people work at New Jersey casinos, and thousands more around the state work for outside vendors that depend on casinos for their business.

“It is not just an Atlantic County issue. It is not just a Cape May issue,” Kelly said. “There’s purchasing done by every county.”

LoBiondo is working to repeal the provision with U.S. Rep Shelly Berkley, co-chair of the Congressional Gaming Cascus, and has reached out to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has a history of representing the interests of the gaming industry.

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

One thousand residents of the Defense Department-managed Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. filed a class-action lawsuit on May 24, asserting that the cut-backs in medical and dental services imposed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are illegal. The operating budget for the home was reduced from $63 million in 2004 to $58 million for 2005. The residents cite cuts in on-site X-ray, electrocardiogram, physical and dental services, and the closing of the home’s main clinic and an on-site pharmacy.

Chief Financial Officer Steve McManus responded that the changes not only save money but also achieved improved efficiencies. “We’re really trying to improve the benefits to our residents,” he said.

Most of the home’s costs are paid for by a trust fund and monthly fees paid by residents. By law, the Armed Forces Retirement Homes are required to fund, “on-site primary care, medical care and a continuum of long-term care services.”

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Yesderday, Greek police charged four suspects for participating in mob violence against Thessaloniki’s city mayor Yiannis Boutaris. The 75-year-old mayor was attacked on Saturday at a commemoration of victims of the Pontic Genocide.

According to police, three suspects were male — aged from seventeen to twenty — of Greek nationality and the fourth suspect was a mid-30s Georgian of Greek origin. Boutaris was reportedly told by persons in the crowd to leave the annual commemoration for the victims killed in a massacre during World War I by Turks as well as during the Greek-Turkish war. The mob was then seen kicking the mayor and throwing stones and bottles. The mayor was taken off the scene by his asides. Boutaris was later hospitalised, reportedly sustaining head, leg, and back injuries.

Describing the mayor’s assailants as “far-right bullies”, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said they would “have to face the consequences”. Both ruling party Syriza as well as main opposition party New Democracy condemned the attack. Syriza called the violence a “fascist attempt to target and intimidate” Boutaris. New Democracy said officials should arrest the attackers “immediately”.

Boutaris, who was reportedly at the hospital overnight, said in remarks to the Greek Reporter news organization, “It was a nightmare[…] There were several people that attacked me. They were hitting me everywhere.” The mayor called it a “despicable attack”.

Boutaris has favoured multiculturalism, supporting the construction of a mosque in Thessaloniki, and construction of monuments in honour of Turkish leaders. Boutaris had also supported policies that were LGBT+-friendly.

The three adults arrested — all but the seventeen-year-old — are to be tried on Wednesday.