Gordon Brown has issued an unprecedented apology for the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data fiasco as the Tories sought to hold him personally responsible for exposing millions of people to identity fraud.
Pressure mounted on the Prime Minister yesterday to abandon plans for a compulsory identity card scheme, which No 10 insisted would go ahead. Some ministers and Labour MPs believe the HMRC affair may force a rethink.
A startling new study by medical researchers in the United States has caused consternation among public health professionals by suggesting that, contrary to conventional wisdom, being overweight might actually be beneficial for health.
The study, published yesterday in the respected Journal of the American Medical Association, runs counter to almost all other advice to consumers by saying that carrying a little extra flab – though not too much – might help people to live longer.
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3138352.ece
Dear Colleague,
Imperial College London has today climbed from ninth position to fifth in the world as ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement and I'd like to pass on my great thanks for your contributions to this success.
It caps a wonderful year for the College – in 2007 we have celebrated our Centenary, we have become an independent university awarding our own degrees, and we have recommitted ourselves, through our new Royal Charter, to the research and teaching that will improve quality of life worldwide. Throughout the year there have been numerous individual and team triumphs in every area of the College.
Today’s recognition reflects the commitment and brilliance that you demonstrate every day – it is that which makes the College a world-leading institution. I offer you my warm congratulations and look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate your achievements in the coming year.
With best wishes,
Richard Sykes
Sir Richard Sykes DSc FRS FMedSci
Rector
Imperial College London
Συγκλονιστικό, αλλά και ενδεικτικό για το πόσο «θαμπό» εμφανίζεται το πρόσωπο του κοινωνικού κράτους στους πολίτες της χώρας, είναι ότι το 49,6% πιστεύει ότι οι συνάνθρωποί τους βρέθηκαν σε κατάσταση φτώχειας από ένα τυχαίο γεγονός, που μπορεί να συμβεί στον καθένα. Δηλαδή, έπειτα από κάποιο σοβαρό πρόβλημα υγείας ή εργασίας.
Μόνο το 33,3% εντοπίζει την αιτία της φτώχειας σε κάποια ταξική διαφορά, απαντώντας ότι ήταν «πάντοτε φτωχοί».
Υψηλό στην ερώτηση αυτή 17,1% και το ποσοστό της απάντησης δεν ξέρω/δεν απαντώ (ΔΞ/ΔΑ), που εμπεριέχει και αρκετή δόση ανασφάλειας αφού αν κάτι δεν το γνωρίζεις το φοβάσαι ακόμη περισσότερο.
Με πόσα ευρώ παύεις να είσαι φτωχός
Τα 933,7 ευρώ είναι το μηνιαίο καθαρό εισόδημα, που χρειάζεται ένας «φτωχός» για να πάψει να ανήκει σε αυτή την κατηγορία καλύπτοντας τις βασικές ανάγκες του. Αυτή είναι η δημοφιλέστερη απάντηση που προέκυψε από την έρευνα που διενεργήθηκε στα ειδικά κοινά, σε χώρους υποδοχής και περίθαλψης αστέγων και απόρων στην Αθήνα και τη Θεσσαλονίκη.
Στους περισσότερους δηλαδή λείπουν 476 ευρώ περίπου, αφού κατά μέσο όρο οι ερωτηθέντες λαμβάνουν μηνιαίως 457,7 ευρώ.
Το προφίλ του Έλληνα φτωχού
Το 32,6% των φτωχών αντιμετωπίζει πρόβλημα υγρασίας στο σπίτι του, το 28,2% μένουν σε σπίτια που τα δωμάτια είναι σκοτεινά και το 22,7% σε οικίες που δεν διαθέτουν θέρμανση.
Το 38,8% χαρακτηρίζουν πολύ κακή και κακή την υγεία τους και το 38,3% δηλώνει ότι -στην Ελλάδα της δωρεάν υγείας και του ΕΣΥ- στερήθηκε φροντίδες υγείας λόγω έλλειψης οικονομικής δυνατότητας.
Προς επίρρωση των παραπάνω λειτουργεί και το στοιχείο που θέλει το 68,8% να θεωρούν ότι με τον τρόπο που εξελίσσεται ο σύγχρονος κόσμος και την αδικία που υπάρχει στην κοινωνία το να υπάρχουν φτωχοί είναι ...αναπόφευκτο.
Τα 933,7 ευρώ είναι το ψυχολογικό όριο, που χωρίζει τους φτωχούς από τους πλούσιους, σύμφωνα με τους φτωχούς της χώρας μας, που αν εξασφάλιζαν το ποσό αυτό θα διέγραφαν τον εαυτό τους από τις «λίστες των φτωχών».
Ζοφερό διαγράφεται το μέλλον, με το 68,4% των Ελλήνων να θεωρούν ότι η ψαλίδα μεταξύ πλούσιων και φτωχών θα ανοίξει κι άλλο στο μέλλον.
Τα παραπάνω στοιχεία που προκαλούν -αν μη τι άλλο- έντονο προβληματισμό προκύπτουν από ειδική έρευνα που πραγματοποίησε η Κάπα Research σε συνεργασία με το London School of Economics (LSE) για λογαριασμό του υπουργείου Οικονομίας.
Migrants are a boon to UK economy, says study |
The report for the government's Migration Impact Forum also concludes that migrants on average earn more and so pay more tax than UK workers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/immigration/story/0,,2192777,00.html
Her majesty's chief inspector of education, children's services and skills, Christine Gilbert, called for renewed efforts to close the gap between disadvantaged children and their better off peers.
Ofsted inspectors found 49% of secondaries were rated no better than "satisfactory", which is no longer deemed good enough.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2192924,00.html
Η φτώχεια είναι ένα από τα βασικότερα προβλήματα που έχει να αντιμετωπίσει η χώρα μας, καθώς σύμφωνα και με τα στοιχεία της Κομισιόν το 21% των συμπολιτών μας (2,2 εκατ. άτομα) επιβιώνει με εισόδημα κατώτερο του 60% του μέσου εθνικού εισοδήματος.
Η Ελλάδα μαζί με την Ιρλανδία έχουν το υψηλότερο ποσοστό φτώχειας στην ΕΕ των «15», ενώ τελευταία στη σχετική κατάταξη είναι η Σουηδία με 9%. Στην Ευρώπη υπολογίζεται ότι οι φτωχοί ξεπερνούν τα 70 εκατ. ανθρώπους.
Την τελευταία 30ετία, ενώ υπήρξε στην Ελλάδα σημαντική οικονομική ανάπτυξη, η κατάσταση των οικονομικά ευπαθών ομάδων δεν παρουσίασε ανάλογη βελτίωση, διότι μόνο ποσοστό «20,4% από την αύξηση της κατανάλωσης ήταν προς όφελος των φτωχών», ενώ το 79,6% δόθηκε στους προνομιούχους.
Έτσι, ένας στους τρεις πολίτες δεν μπορεί πολλές φορές να πληρώσει το ενοίκιο του σπιτιού ή τη δόση του δανείου χωρίς καθυστερήσεις, να έχει ως γεύμα κάθε δύο ημέρες κρέας ή ψάρι και να έχει επαρκή θέρμανση στο σπίτι του.
http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=840544&lngDtrID=251
Any military intervention in the Caspian Sea area would be unacceptable, Mr Putin declared as he attended a five-country regional summit in Tehran.
"We should not even think of making use of force in this region," Mr Putin told his fellow leaders.
His remarks also appeared directed at Azerbaijan, amid Russian media speculation that the US might be trying to negotiate with the republic on the right to use military facilities there, something Azeri officials deny.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2192195,00.html
http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/a380/· Animals' DNA modified to develop human diseases
· Technique used to test new drug therapies
A British scientist whose pioneering research led to the creation of legions of "knockout" mice that are genetically modified to develop human diseases was awarded a Nobel prize yesterday.
Sir Martin Evans, a professor of mammalian genetics at Cardiff University, became the first scientist to isolate stem cells from mouse embryos in 1981. The research paved the way for a technique called gene targeting, which allows scientists to alter the genetic code of an animal with exquisite precision.
By knocking out specific genes, researchers have designed mice that develop a range of medical conditions including cancer, cystic fibrosis and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
The modified mice give researchers unprecedented insight into how some of the most debilitating human diseases progress in different tissues and organs over a lifetime, and have proved invaluable in testing new drug therapies. More than 500 different diseases have been recreated in mice using the technique.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/oct/09/2
The genetics research that won Mario Capecchi a share of this year's Nobel Prize for medicine may well help to define the science of the 21st century. But the man himself was marked, in extraordinary ways, by the turbulent history of the century before.
Mr Capecchi's grandfather, a German archaeologist, was accidentally gunned down by his own men during the First World War. His father, an Italian aviator, perished in the Second World War. He himself spent that war destitute in northern Italy after his American mother was arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp – a survival tale all the more remarkable for the fact that he was just four years old when his mother was taken away.
Yesterday's prize recognises work which could have enormous implications for medicine. Mr Capecchi, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, shares the £755,000 award with another naturalised American, British-born Oliver Smithies, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Briton, Sir Martin Evans, of Cardiff University.
Mr Capecchi was lucky enough to study at Harvard under James Watson, a pioneer of DNA research, and devoted himself to the field of genetics long before it became popular or even obviously useful.
His area of interest, gene targeting, involved injecting DNA into the nuclei of cells and trying to change their genetic make-up. From the start, the dream – now rapidly turning into a reality – was to be able to control the mutation process and effectively take control of genetic change in mammalian cells.
He applied for an NIH grant a second time, and this time his application was greeted enthusiastically. "We are glad that you didn't follow our advice," the approval letter read.
Mr Capecchi spent six years at Harvard, only to conclude that the pressure to come up with quick research results was too great. The University of Utah provided a more relaxed atmosphere, "where you could work on projects whose outcome may take 10 years". He has been there ever since.
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3041118.ece
Η Αθήνα βρίσκεται στην 50η θέση σε ό,τι αφορά την «εύκολη εύρεση εργασίας» και στην 26η σε ό,τι αφορά την «εύκολη εύρεση κατοικίας σε λογική τιμή», σύμφωνα με στοιχεία της Ευρωπαϊκής Στατιστικής Υπηρεσίας για 75 πόλεις της ΕΕ που δημοσιεύθηκαν την Παρασκευή.
Στην ερώτηση «συμφωνείτε ότι στην πόλη σας μπορεί κάποιος να βρεί εύκολα εργασία;», το 29% των Αθηναίων απάντησε θετικά, όπως και το 45% των κατοίκων του Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, γεγονός που κατατάσσει το Ηράκλειο στην 27η θέση. Τα υψηλότερα ποσοστά στην ερώτηση αυτή συγκεντρώνουν η Πράγα (75%), η Κοπεγχάγη (74), το Δουβλίνο (70%), το Ααλμποργκ της Δανίας (62%) και η Αμβέρσα (62%). Τα χαμηλότερα ποσοστά συγκεντρώνουν το Παλέρμο και η Νάπολη (3%), η Φρανκφούρτη (3%), το Μίσκολτς της Ουγγαρίας (11%) και το Μπιαλιστόκ της Πολωνίας (11%).
Σε ό,τι αφορά την εύκολη εύρεση κατοικίας σε λογική τιμή, το 28% των Αθηναίων και το 36% των κατοίκων στο Ηράκλειο της Κρήτης απαντά θετικά. Το ποσοστό αυτό κατατάσσει την Αθήνα στην 26η θέση και το Ηράκλειο στην 21η. Τα υψηλότερα ποσοστά σημειώνονται στη Λειψία της Γερμανίας (78%), στο Ααλμποργκ (71%), στην Μπράγκα της Πορτογαλίας (68%), το Ντόρτμουντ της Γερμανίας (62%) και το Οβιέδο της Ισπανίας (61%). Τα χαμηλότερα ποσοστά συγκεντρώνει το Παρίσι (3%), το Λουξεμβούργο (5%), το Δουβλίνο(6%), το Βουκουρέστι (7%) και η Μπρατισλάβα (8%).
Childbirth is claimed to be safer than ever. Yet the price paid by the NHS for deliveries going catastrophically wrong has risen 59 per cent to £259m – enough to fund the consultants and midwives needed to save thousands of babies and mothers from harm
The dangers of childbirth in the modern health service are highlighted today by figures showing that £665m has been paid out over the past three years to settle medical negligence claims where obstetric deliveries have gone catastrophically wrong.
The size of the payout – enough to hire 1,000 extra consultants – reflects the enormous and growing burden of medical negligence on the health service, which is diverting scarce resources from patient care.
In a major report to be published today, the Royal College of Obstetricians will say that too little is being done to reduce the risks of childbirth and make it safer for mothers and babies. It will blame shortages of consultants and midwives, increasing pressure from a rising birth rate, and lack of training.
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3038383.ece
Βρυξέλλες |
Σχεδόν τέσσερις μήνες μετά τις γενικές εκλογές, τα βελγικά κόμματα δεν έχουν καταφέρει να σχηματίσουν έναν κυβερνητικό συνασπισμό, καθώς τα αιτήματα για περισσότερη ανεξαρτησία στη Φλάνδρα και στη Βαλονία έχουν οδηγήσει τις συζητήσεις σε αδιέξοδο.
Το πολιτικό αδιέξοδο έχει φέρει στην επιφάνεια το ενδεχόμενο διάσπασης της χώρας και στο κλίμα αυτό συμβάλλουν τόσο τα μέσα ενημέρωσης όσο και η δημόσια συζήτηση.
Το Βέλγιο έχει 6,5 εκατομμύρια φλαμανδόφωνους και 4 εκατομμύρια γαλλόφωνους κατοίκους. Τα πάντα όμως στο Βέλγιο, από εταιρείες μέχρι και τους προσκόπους, είναι χωρισμένα ανάλογα με τη γλώσσα.
Τοπικά μέσα ενημέρωσης ανέφεραν πως περίπου 300 φλαμανδόφωνοι έκαψαν την Κυριακή βελγικές σημαίες σε διαδήλωση λίγο έξω από τις Βρυξέλλες. Την ίδια ώρα στο κέντρο των Βρυξελλών βρισκόταν σε εξέλιξη διαδήλωση υπέρ της ενότητας του Βελγίου.
Praised by the New York Times as "singing beautifully and looking like a million dollars," Heather Buck has established herself internationally in many notable roles such as Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, and as Maid in Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face. In the fall of 2004, Ms. Buck received accolades for her performance in the title role of New York City Opera's world premiere of Charles Wuorinen's Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Honoring her performance, NYCO presented her with the 2005 Kolozsvar Award, which recognizes artists who perform new and unusual repertory.
Heather Buck's 2006-07 season includes performing Esa-Pekka Salonen's Five Images After Sappho with the Utah Symphony, Schubert's Mass in E-flat with North Carolina Symphony, and Bach's Magnificat at Duke University. In the summer of 2007, she makes her debut with Central City Opera as La Fée in Cendrillon.
The 2005-06 season included her return to New York City Opera as the Comtesse de Folleville in Il Viaggio a Reims. Other roles included Iris in Semele with Arizona Opera, Laoula in L'Etoile with Opera Boston, Queen of the Night with Calgary Opera, and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas in a re-engagement with Boston's Handel and Haydn Society. On the concert stage Ms. Buck performed Messiah with Pacific Symphony, Carmina Burana with San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Handel's Jeptha with Choral Society of Durham, and concert arias of Mozart's Requiem with Westchester Philharmonic. In the summer of 2006, Ms. Buck performed the role of Queen of the Night in her Santa Fe Opera debut.
In the 2004-05 season, Ms. Buck not only made her New York City Opera debut as Haroun, but appeared with Opera Birmingham as Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore. That same season she performed Mozart's Mass in C Minor with the National Arts Centre Orchestra at the State University of New York at Purchase.
Ms. Buck first performed the role of Maid in Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face with the Aspen Opera Theatre. She has subsequently performed the role with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, at London's Almeida Theatre, on Channel 4 UK, with Opéra-Théâtre de Metz at the Aldeburgh Festival, and with the Boston Modern Opera Project.
Ms. Buck has performed extensively in Europe. She appeared as Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with De Vlaamse Opera, and with Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu as both Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos and First Niece in Peter Grimes. She also performed as a soloist in Tan Dun's Water Passion After St. Matthew at the White Nights Festival, and at the Britten-Pears School in the role of Tytania in Midsummer Night's Dream.
Other recent opera highlights include Ms. Buck's performances of Stella in Andre Previn's Streetcar Named Desire with the Washington National Opera, Tytania in Midsummer Night's Dream with Aspen Opera Theatre, Amor in Orfeo ed Euridice with Opera Birmingham, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with the Spoleto Festival USA, Pat Nixon in Nixon in China with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Josephine in HMS Pinafore with Lake George Opera. She has performed the role of Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Birmingham, Opera Delaware and Wolf Trap Opera, and has appeared with Central City Opera.
In concert, Ms. Buck's recent credits include performances of Messiah with both the Handel and Haydn Society and Pacific Symphony Orchestra. She was soprano soloist in Beethoven's Die Ruinen von Athen with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Celestial Voice in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at the Bard Music Festival, and performed Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Westchester Philharmonic. She has been a soloist in Bach's Mass in B Minor with Baltimore Choral Arts Society, in the world premiere of Ezra Laderman's Brotherly Love with the Philadelphia Singers, and in Jacob Druckman's Counterpoise with the Los Angeles New Music Group.
Ms. Buck holds a Masters of Music Degree from Yale, where she studied with Doris Yarick-Cross. She received her B.A. in Music from Tufts University and a B.F.A. in Studio Art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Opera Theatre Center, second place winner in the Jenny Lind Competition, and the regional winner (NYC) for the MacAllister Awards in Opera. In addition to her Wolf Trap Opera Apprenticeship, Ms. Buck participated in Ravinia's Steans Institute for Young Artists.
4 October 2007
The benefits of applying technological know how to patient care were demonstrated to Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Imperial College London yesterday.
Imperial’s Rector, Sir Richard Sykes , and Professor of Surgery and Department of Health Parliamentary Under Secretary, Lord Darzi
, took the PM on a tour of the College’s newly launched Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
The Institute is at the forefront of medical innovation, drawing together scientists, clinicians and engineers for research focussed on technologies in systems biology, materials, imaging, nanotechnology, bionics, biomechanics and tissue engineering.
During the tour, the PM took a special interest in the virtual operating theatre used for cardiac micro surgery in the Medical Imaging and Robotics Room.
The College’s Director of Medical Imaging, Professor Guang-Zhong Yang , discussed the potential advantages and applications of robotic surgical devices, such as the Da Vinci robot, whilst Lord Darzi, carried out a virtual medical procedure in front of Mr Brown.
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_4-10-2007-15-46-1?newsid=19334
The internet is a vital source of contact for businesses, families and lovers living with the daily difficulties of Israeli occupation in the West Bank city, reports Clare Simon
This is a tale of two cities. The first is Nablus in the West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territories, a city of picturesque ancient buildings and winding alleyways - and fierce resistance to the Israeli presence. The second is virtual Nablus - a city of monitors, keyboards and cables where the residents of Nablus can experience a freedom they do not enjoy in real life.
"Without the internet I would die," says 29-year-old Mahmoud, a journalism student at Nablus's An-Najah National University. Last year he tried to visit the United States, but the Israeli authorities would not let him leave the West Bank.
"I had a visa for the US but when I got to the bridge [the Allenby Bridge over the River Jordan to Jordan; Palestinians usually cannot enter Israel so travel via Jordan] the Israelis said I couldn't go out."
Mahmoud is establishing an arts project near his home in Balata refugee camp but his American co-founder has been denied entry to Israel, and therefore the occupied territories, by the Israeli authorities. So now the pair conduct business meetings via the internet, using Skype, Microsoft Messenger and email.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/04/guardianweeklytechnologysection.internet
Cigarette sales across England dropped by 11.6 per cent in the month following the 1 July ban on smoking in public places, according to a study published yesterday. The significant fall reflects sales from shops, bars, clubs, pubs and restaurants, according to the market analysts Nielsen, who collected the data.
The figures were in comparison to July last year, when the World Cup was taking place during a heatwave, factors which may have encouraged social smoking and drinking. Sales in August were down by just 2.8 per cent compared with the same month last year.
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3021331.ece
Two California cities are pushing anti-smoking legislation to previously unseen limits by banning tenants from lighting up inside apartment buildings.
Leading the way is Belmont, south of San Francisco, which threatened at one stage to ban smoking anywhere within city limits. Instead, Belmont city council contented itself with a ban on smoking in any building where residents share a common floor or ceiling. It is also banning all smoking within 20ft of a doorway, a common area, and areas used by children. A final vote on the new rules is expected next week, with implementation in November.
In southern California, Calabasas, a suburban community in the hills above Malibu, is going even further. The city council was preparing for a vote last night that would expand anti-smoking laws to encompass apartment buildings.
The proposal would exempt smokers already living in a place where they have a habit of lighting up, but would apply to them when they moved.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3024748.ece
Video Clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJrJSSOTPgc&mode=related&search=
********************************************************************
Rise Up
And you don’t fall down again.
Rise Up
Long time you broke your hands.
I try to fly a while so high
Direction sky.
I try to fly a while so high
Up to the sky.
My dream is to fly
Over the rainbow so high
Rise up,
On my wings.
Rise up
Makes me feel pain.
Coz I like to fly your life so high
Up to the sky.
Coz I like to fly your life so high
Up to the sky.
Over the rainbow so high.
Rise up, rise up, rise up, rise up
For my brain.
I try to fly away so high
Above the sky.
My dream is to fly
Over the rainbow so high.
My dream is to fly, over the rainbow
So high.
Ο Παναθηναϊκός εξασφάλισε με καλή εμφάνιση και άνετη νίκη 3-0 επί της Αρτμέντια την πρόκριση στους ομίλους του Κυπέλλου UEFA, ωστόσο, η εικόνα της σχεδόν άδειας Λεωφόρου γέμισε με θλίψη όσους βρέθηκαν στο γήπεδο. Σε ακόμα ένα παιχνίδι, ο κόσμος του «τριφυλλιού» απείχε.
Διατέθηκαν μόλις 6.197 εισιτήρια, που αποτελούν αρνητικό ρεκόρ στην ευρωπαϊκή ιστορία της ομάδας.
Το... αφτί των φιλάθλων δεν ίδρωσε ούτε από τις εκκλήσεις των Ζοζέ Πεσέιρο και Γιώργου Καραγκούνη την παραμονή της αναμέτρησης με τους Σλοβάκους.
Η ώρα διεξαγωγής του αγώνα (18:45) και το γεγονός ότι η Τρίτη είναι εργάσιμη ημέρα, έπαιξαν κάποιο ρόλο, αλλά σίγουρα δεν αποτελούν δικαιολογία για την αποκαρδιωτική εικόνα της Λεωφόρου.Με το βλέμμα στραμμένο στην Κομισιόν προκειμένου να πάρει το «πράσινο φως» για τον συμψηφισμό χρεών του Δημοσίου και των κρατικών ενισχύσεων της Ο.Α., ο νέος υπουργός Μεταφορών - Επικοινωνιών Κ. Χατζηδάκης θα προσπαθήσει να δώσει λύση στο δυσεπίλυτο γρίφο της Ολυμπιακής Αεροπορίας.
Την άλλη εβδομάδα ο υπουργός θα επιδιώξει να έχει συνάντηση με τον Επίτροπο για θέματα Μεταφορών κ. Ζακ Μπαρό στο πλαίσιο του Συμβουλίου υπουργών Μεταφορών, ενώ παράλληλα θα ξεκινήσει κύκλο διαπραγματεύσεων και με τους εργαζόμενους στην εταιρεία.
Προτεραιότητα αποτελεί η ενημέρωση του κ. Χατζηδάκη από τους νομικούς που έχουν αναλάβει την υπόθεση της ΟΑ, ώστε να παρουσιάσει όλα τα επιχειρήματα για το θέμα του συμψηφισμού.
Υπενθυμίζεται ότι η ελληνική πλευρά ζητά τον συμψηφισμό των ποσών που έχουν επιδικάσει στην Ο.Α. τα διαιτητικά δικαστήρια και φτάνουν τα 540 εκατ. ευρώ ως χρέη του Δημοσίου προς την εταιρεία, με τα ποσά που η Κομισιόν έχει χαρακτηρίσει παράνομες κρατικές ενισχύσεις.
http://financial.flash.gr//epixeiriseis/companies1/2007/9/24/26881id/
Μέχρι τις 31 Οκτωβρίου παρουσιάζεται στο Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο η περιοδική έκθεση «Πραξιτέλης». Στις τέσσερις αίθουσες των περιοδικών εκθέσεων του Μουσείου εκτίθενται 79 αρχαία έργα από μουσεία του Εξωτερικού, όπως είναι το Λούβρο, το Βρετανικό Μουσείο, τα Μουσεία του Βατικανού και του Καπιτωλίου στη Ρώμη, το κρατικό Μουσείο της Δρέσδης, το musee d΄ Arles et de la Province Antiques, η Bibliotheque National de France, το museo archeologico regionale Antonio-Salinas και της Ελλάδας.
Με τον ίδιο τίτλο και θέμα διοργανώθηκε πρόσφατα περιοδική έκθεση στο Mουσείο του Λούβρου. Η έκθεση του Εθνικού Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου, σε συνέχεια της έκθεσης του Λούβρου, είναι αρκετά συμπυκνωμένη, με λιγότερα έργα, αλλά και ελαφρώς τροποποιημένη ως προς το περιεχόμενο: δηλαδή, αντιπροσωπεύονται οι γνωστότεροι αγαλματικοί τύποι που αποδίδονται στον Πραξιτέλη, έστω και με μικρό αριθμό ρωμαϊκών αντιγράφων, παράλληλα, όμως επιλέχτηκαν από ελληνικά μουσεία και ορισμένα άλλα έργα που σχετίζονται με το έργο του ίδιου του γλύπτη και το έργο των μελών της οικογενείας του, του πατέρα και των δύο γιων του, που ήσαν επίσης γλύπτες του 4ου αι. και των αρχών του 3ου αι. π.Χ.
http://entertainment.flash.gr//art/exhibition/2007/7/31/22236id/
People who fly are more than three times more likely to develop deep vein thrombosis, according to a study of regular travellers. Researchers, funded by the government and the EU, also found that travellers who are obese or particularly short or tall, women using the pill, and under-30s were most at risk. They said airlines should create more adjustable seats with more leg room for the tallest people to prevent DVT.
The study, which followed nearly 9,000 business people for five years, concludes that on average the condition occurs once in every 4,656 individual journeys. "It clearly shows this could be prevented if seats were adjustable or there was more space," said Suzanne Cannegieter at Leiden University Medical Centre.
DVT is the formation of a blood clot within an undamaged vein - often because lack of exercise prevents blood from being returned to the heart. Symptoms include pain, redness and swelling, and if part of the clot becomes dislodged it can lead to a life-threatening blockage in a blood vessel leading to the lungs. DVT kills around 3% to 5% of people with the condition.
Although the risk of DVT in airline passengers relative to the rest of the population has been studied a handful of times, the Dutch team is the first to work out the "absolute risk" of it occurring.
They surveyed 8,755 employees of large companies. Over five years 6,440 of them clocked up more than 300,000 flights. The rest did not fly at all. The team recorded all DVT cases in both flyers and non-flyers - 53 in all - and verified them with medical records. They calculate the risk of DVT among flyers is 3.2 for every 1,000 people a year compared with one every 1000 for non-flyers. The tallest flyers were at 3.6 times greater risk than non-flyers and the shortest were at 6.3 times greater risk, they report in the journal PLoS Medicine.
A spokesman for British Airways said DVT is not restricted to air travel. "Immobility as a causative factor in DVT has been recognised for many decades, as has the existence of certain groups who are at increased risk ... whether seated on a train, bus, theatre, car or at an office desk.
"We encourage passengers to remain active during flight and have even developed a series of exercises ... which can be undertaken without leaving the seats.The health secretary will use his keynote speech at the Labour party conference in Bournemouth to unveil a raft of measures aimed at eliminating MRSA and tackling other superbugs.
Speaking ahead of his address, Mr Johnson said he wanted to see a "zero" incidence of MRSA in hospitals.
"We have already had a lot of success in reducing the incidence of MRSA. We have a target of reducing it by 50% - I want to get it down to zero," he told GMTV.
"There are hospitals who manage that, and I think deep clean will make an important contribution."
Mr Johnson later told the BBC Today Programme that he wanted a much more "clinically driven, local NHS".
It will be constantly focused on a personalised service for patients, with centralising care in areas such as stroke and cancer.
His speech later this morning is expected to include measures aimed at improving security for NHS staff working alone and in vulnerable situations.
The new health regulator - which will incorporate the Healthcare Commission - will have greater powers to crack down on hospitals failing to cut rates of MRSA or clostridium difficile, Mr Johnson will say.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour2007/story/0,,2176706,00.html
Britain is in danger of losing its reputation for providing a world-class university education because its students work far fewer hours than students in the rest of Europe, a report published today warns.
Students on media studies courses are the least hard-working, spending less than 20 hours a week on their work, the report says, adding that women tend to work harder than men.
The report also shows that more than a quarter of the overseas students at all UK universities say they are getting "poor" value for money on their courses – possibly as a result of receiving far less tuition than their counterparts on the Continent, according to the report's authors.
The paper, written by the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank, warns: "These are potentially very serious findings."
The figures show that students at English universities receive about 14 hours tuition a week and work for about 25.5 to 26 hours a week. This puts it at the bottom of a European league table, which places Portugal top, with students working 41 hours a week. After England, Spain is the country where students expend least effort, devoting an average of 29 hours a week to their work.
The report says: "There is real reason to doubt whether English degrees will be perceived as being of equivalent value to degrees from countries where the requirements on students are more onerous."
Those who spend the least time working are students on communications courses such as media studies with 19.4 hours a week. The longest hours at English universities are put in by veterinary students (37hours ) and those studying medicine and dentistry (35.5).
Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, η παράδοση του πορίσματος της Επιτροπής θα γίνει εντός της εβδομάδας, σηματοδοτώντας την έναρξη του διαλόγου με τους κοινωνικούς εταίρους για το Ασφαλιστικό, που έχει εξαγγείλει η κυβέρνηση, η οποία επιθυμεί να έχει κλείσει το θέμα μέχρι το τέλος του 2008.
Όπως είπε ο κ. Αναλυτής επιβάλλεται η επέκταση των ορίων ηλικίας συνταξιοδότησης κατά δύο με τρία χρόνια, «το εθνικό 61 πρέπει να γίνει τουλάχιστον 63».
Ακόμη μίλησε για παροχή οικονομικών κινήτρων, π.χ. μεγαλύτερη σύνταξη για μεγαλύτερη παραμονή στην εργασία.
Αντίθετα, πρότεινε ακόμη και περικοπή σύνταξης σε περίπτωση πρόωρης συνταξιοδότησης ,«χωρίς σοβαρούς λόγους».
Η μεταρρύθμιση διευκρίνησε ο κ. Αναλυτής, θα αφορά τους εργαζόμενους που είναι σήμερα σε ηλικία 30 έως 40 ετών και σε καμία περίπτωση δεν θα θίγει όσους βρίσκονται κοντά στη συνταξιοδότηση.
Κωδικοποιώντας τις προτάσεις της Επιτροπής Αναλυτή:
1) Προτείνεται η σταδιακή αύξηση του ορίου συνταξιοδότησης, μάλλον στα 67 έτη.
2) Περιορίζονται δραστικά οι πρόωρες συντάξεις, μέτρο από το οποίο θα θιγούν κυρίως οι εργαζόμενες μητέρες με ανήλικα παιδιά.
3) Αλλάζει ο τρόπος υπολογισμού των συντάξεων, με κίνδυνο η σύνταξη να μειωθεί έως και 20%.
4) Ενοποίηση Ταμείων. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι η ενοποίηση δεν είναι πανάκεια, όπως χρακτηριστικά συνέβη στον ΟΑΕΕ, όπου η συγχώνευση των ταμείων (ΤΣΑ, ΤΕΒΕ και ΤΑΕ) έγινε χωρίς να καλυφθούν τα ελλείμματα. Αποτέλεσμα: ο ΟΑΕΕ πωλεί μετοχές για να καταφέρει να δώσει συντάξεις.
5) Κίνητρα παραμονής στην εργασία μετά την ηλικία σύνταξης.
www.in.gr
Ο Δ. Αβραμόπουλος τόνισε ότι δίδεται έμφαση στην πρωτοβάθμια φροντίδα και στην εξυγίανση του χώρου των προμηθειών.
Και τόνισε ότι «συνεχίζουμε το έργο μας. Όλο αυτόν τον καιρό έχει γίνει σπουδαία δουλειά στο χώρο της Υγείας που θα αποδώσει ακόμη καλύτερα αποτελέσματα στους μήνες που έρχονται».Τα παιδιά χρησιμοποιούνται ως «κηπουροί» για να φροντίζουν τα φυτά της κάνναβης και κοιμούνται σε αποθήκες ή ...ντουλάπια (φωτ. Reuters) |
Up to 1,000 babies that are born dead each year could be saved if doctors and midwives were better trained to spot vital warning signs, according to one of the UK's leading experts on stillbirths. Health experts say the numbers of stillbirths in the UK are alarmingly high – 10 times the level of cot deaths – and most are unexplained.
New research to be presented at an international conference in Birmingham next week will hear that "sub-optimal care" is a key factor in many of the deaths. In many cases, midwives are having to deal with too many births.
The conference will hear important new evidence of a vital link between foetal growth restriction and stillbirths that can provide doctors with an early warning system that could save countless lives and spare families the loss of a child.
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2990158.ece
The team behind PRIDE & PREJUDICE reunite for this adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel. One summer day in 1935, 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) sees her older sister Cecilia (Knightley) strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching Cecilia is their housekeeper's son Robbie Turner (McAvoy), a childhood friend. By the end of that day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had never before dared to approach and will have become victims of the younger girl's scheming imagination; and Briony, later played by Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave, will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt of which will colour her entire life.The study, published today, highlights how "a small cadre of elite 'feeder' schools" dominate Oxbridge admissions, and will raise fresh concerns that state schools are struggling to get their pupils into leading universities despite efforts to make Oxbridge more inclusive.
Only two state comprehensives make the list compiled by the Sutton Trust charity, which looked at where 1 million teenagers went to university over five years.
The results showed 30 schools, including two state grammars and one comprehensive, accounted for nearly one in six Oxbridge entrants.
Two hundred schools made up nearly half all Oxbridge entrants, while 3,500 other schools accounted for the remaining 52%. A similar pattern was detected with admissions to the 13 British universities at the top of league tables compiled by newspapers in recent years.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2172796,00.htmlClass sizes in UK primary schools are still far higher than in most other developed countries despite millions of pounds of government cash being pumped into the sector, an international study revealed yesterday.
Figures show the UK – with an average of 25.8 pupils per class in state schools – comes 23rd out of 30 Western countries surveyed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for class sizes.
Only Korea, Chile, Japan, Turkey, Israel, Brazil and Ireland have larger class sizes. The smallest primary school classes are in the Russian Federation, where there is an average of just 15.6 pupils per class.
http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2976673.ecePupils from Britain's top fee-paying schools are getting into the country's elite universities with lower A-level grades than pupils rejected from state schools, says a report out today.
Research by the Sutton Trust, the education charity dedicated to widening university participation among young people from deprived backgrounds, shows entry to Oxford and Cambridge, in particular, is dominated by an elite group of schools.
The study of university admission rates over five years at 3,700 state and private schools in the UK rejects the claims made by the independent sector that government moves to encourage wider participation have led to discrimination against their pupils. Instead, it suggests at least 3,000 pupils from state schools have been denied a place at the country's top 13 universities – despite having the same or better qualifications than independent school pupils who obtained a place.
http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2979908.ece
19-22 Σεπτ, η έκθεση στο Μονακό.
Videos of the arrest had by today been viewed more than 400,000 times on YouTube. About 100 students gathered at the campus today in protest, some wearing T-shirts denouncing police violence.
University police said they had been summoned to the forum to escort Mr Meyer from the building, though organisers disputed that and said his microphone was cut off after he swore. The police said he was tasered because he resisted when officers tried to handcuff him, though his lawyer said it appeared he was already in cuffs when shot.
Mr Meyer had refused to leave the microphone after questioning Mr Kerry about impeaching the president, George Bush, why he didn't challenge the 2004 election results, and whether he and Mr Bush were members of the secret society Skull and Bones at Yale University.
Mr Meyer was held in custody overnight and police were still deciding whether to lay charges.
Σαφείς αποστάσεις από τα κυβερνητικά στελέχη που διατύπωσαν την άποψη περί «ασύμμετρων απειλών» αφήνει ο υπουργός Υγείας κ. Δημήτρης Αβραμόπουλος, στη συνέντευξη που μας παραχώρησε. Ο βουλευτής της Α’ Αθηνών και κορυφαίο στέλεχος της Ν.Δ. θεωρεί ότι ακόμη και με αυτοδυναμία 151 εδρών θα υπάρξει σταθερή κυβέρνηση.
Κύριε υπουργέ, πολλοί συνάδελφοί σας τις τελευταίες ημέρες και με αφορμή την εθνική τραγωδία κάνουν λόγο για «ασύμμετρη απειλή». Εσείς, συμφωνείτε με αυτή την εκδοχή;
Το ΠΑΣΟΚ ηττήθηκε σε αυτές τις εκλογές, με ευθύνη όλων των στελεχών του.
Η Νέα Δημοκρατία είναι ανίκανη να κυβερνήσει τον τόπο και ανίκανη να ανταποκριθεί στην οποιαδήποτε πρόκλιση.
Ωστόσο, τη μεγαλύτερη ευθύνη φέρει ο αρχηγός και πρόεδρος του κινήματος.
Το ΠΑΣΟΚ χρειάζετε, σίγουρα, ανασυγκρότηση και ανανέωση.
Ο ελληνικός λαός περιμένει από τη Δημοκρατική Παράταξη μια νέα πολιτική που θα αρμόζει στο σύγχρονο Ευρωπαϊκό γίγνεσθαι.
Η «φαγωμάρα» και οι αδιάλειπτες εσωτερικές τριβές δε θα κάνουν κακό μόνο στη Σοσιαλιστική Παράταξη, αλλά και σε ολόκληρο το Έθνος.Το γνωρίζουμε άλλωστε από το παρελθόν...
Παρόλα αυτά, θέλω να υπογραμμίσω τα εξής:
Συνεπώς, καθαρός διάλογος και λαϊκή ετυμηγορία από τους φίλους και ψηφοφόρους του ΠΑΣΟΚ είναι η λύση. Χειραγώγηση και αλαζωνεία κακό μόνο θα επιφέρουν. Το ΠΑΣΟΚ δεν κληρονομείται. Το ΠΑΣΟΚ υπηρετεί το λαό. Η «καρέκλα» του είναι βαριά και υπεύθυνη.Τέρμα οι φαμφάρες και οι λαϊκισμοί. Ή θα κοιτάξουμε να ευθυγραμμιστούμε σοβαρά και υπεύθυνα με τις υπόλοιπες χώρες της ΕΕ, με σοβαρή δουλειά ή αλλιώς θα υποστούμε ακόμα χειρότερες συνέπειες.. Ο αρχηγός θέλει υπεύθυνη ομάδα γύρω του, νέους ανθρώπους, που να έχουν τη θέληση να κοπιάσουν και να δουλέψουν για τον τόπο, ακούγοντας τα πραγματικά μηνύματα που εκπέμπονται. Όχι ερμαφρόδιτα δεξιάς κουλτούρας και αριστερών αποθυμένων..
http://stylianidis.blogspot.com/
