Sunday, May 24, 2009

The Saskatoon Health Region in Saskatchewan, Canada recently discovered a fax machine problem which had not relayed almost 1,500 X-rays, Computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, ultrasounds, and other medical imaging test results to doctors.

The fax machine is part of the automated Radiology Information System. An audit revealed that medical diagnostic tests involving results dating back a decade have been affected by the broken fax machine.

On May 6, a doctor called the health region officials seeking follow up on a patient’s report. Staff who delved into it, found that the report was not sent from the system.

Now, two weeks later, this same patient has still not been contacted by the health region.

“It has taken some time to work with the patient’s physician. That was important — to get more information and more detail because we want that patient’s physician to be involved in the discussion with the patient,” Dr. David Poulin, vice-president of medical affairs for The Saskatoon Health Region, said. “This is a system error and that’s just what it was — an error. This doesn’t reflect in any way on the quality of work regional staff have done and continue to do.”

An internal review revealed that, of 2.2 million diagnostic tests performed, at least 1,380 had not been sent out by the malfunctioning fax machine.

The health region will embark on contacting each of the 1,380 patients and their physicians to make sure that the results have been received and if any health care was compromised.

Patients can also contact the health region via a newly set up hotline to make enquiries.

“We think it would actually be good practice if physician offices could have a system to check whether they have received important reports,” said Poulin, “The common practice appears to be in many doctors’ offices, particularly family physician offices, that they don’t respond to the report until it arrives. So, they basically are waiting for the report to arrive in their office by fax and it’s at that point that they look at it and decide what action to take.”

City Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital and Royal University Hospital were the three city hospitals affected. Saskatoon has a population of roughly 233,923, and the hospitals also serve the surrounding rural areas.

Ironically the faulty fax machine was discovered the same week that provincial medical officials began to review approximately 70,000 radiology tests conducted in Yorkton. Officials there doubt the competence of the physician who first interpreted the radiology results.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A small twin-engined Cessna 402 crashed into a lake in the Bahamas shortly after take off Tuesday, killing all eight Bahamian occupants.

The Cessna crashed into Lake Killarney, located near the Lynden Pindling International Airport, after a fire broke out in one of its engines, according to assistant commissioner Hulan Hanna of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

It is reported that several bodies were recovered from the lake and a person was pulled out alive, but later died of a broken neck. It is reported that the plane, which departed the airport at about 12:30 p.m. local time, was travelling to San Salvador in the southern Bahamas. According to police, an investigation is in progress to specify the cause of the crash.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

In the past few days in Italy, several municipalities have started asking religious schools to pay taxes for property and local services, despite the resistance of the Catholic Church.

The request of the municipalities results from the sentence of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation on July 8, recognising as legitimate the request of the Municipality of Livorno asking religious schools to pay property taxes.

Requests have come from the Municipality of Bogliasco, next to Genova, and from the deputies of Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) of the regional counsel of Lombardy. The first case is of the mayor Luca Pastorino that in last years received several refusals of his requests for payment because of the religious nursery school and retirement home. In the second case, the M5S party asks to the regional government to assure the local administrations of the region regularly apply the sentence of the Supreme Court.

The case on which the Court has ruled was of the religious schools Santo Spirito and Immacolata in Livorno, Tuscany, to pay over 422,000 euros in arrears for the period from 2004 to 2009. The request was advanced by the Municipality of Livorno in 2010.

The city reasoned, “because the users of the private schools pay a frequency fee, this kind of activity is considered as a commercial one” ^{((it))Italian language: ?poiché gli utenti della scuola paritaria pagano un corrispettivo per la frequenza, tale attività è di carattere commerciale}.

In 2014 the Italian municipal tax discipline has changed from the ICI system to the IMU system by the Monti government. A mean cost per student criterion is used to tax only the schools that receive a fee higher than the mean cost per student fixed by the State. The new law is not retroactive, so the taxes requested in arrears from 2006 to 2009 are under the ICI system.

Minister of Education Stefania Giannini said a “more general reflection” ^{((it))Italian language: ?riflessione più generale} is needed. Claudio De Vincenti, undersecretary to the prime minister, said “a discussion table will be opened with the non-profit associations, religious association included” ^{((it))Italian language: ?apriremo quindi un tavolo di confronto con le organizzazioni non profit, comprese quelle religiose}.

Undersecretary for Education Mr. Toccafondi says “many schools will increase their fees or they will quit. Then the State will have to find new resources to build new structures and manage them” ^{((it))Italian language: ?Molti istituti aumenteranno le rette o chiuderanno. Così lo Stato dovrà trovare nuove risorse per costruire nuove strutture e gestirle}.

Also the president of the Lombardy region, Roberto Maroni, has reacted by proposing some regional counter-measures to finance private schools.

The secretary general of CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference), Nunzio Galantino, has called the sentence “dangerous” ^{((it))Italian language: ?pericolosa} and “ideological” ^{((it))Italian language: ?”ideologica}: “We face a dangerous sentence. Who takes the decisions, do it with less ideology. Because I have the clear sensation that with this way of thinking, they wait the praise of some ideologized supporters. Indeed, they don’t understand what kind of good service private schools held” ^{((it))Italian language: ?Siamo davanti a una sentenza pericolosa. Chi prende decisioni, lo faccia con meno ideologia. Perché ho la netta sensazione che con questo modo di pensare, si aspetti l’applauso di qualche parte ideologizzata. Il fatto è che non ci si sta rendendo conto del servizio che svolgono le scuole pubbliche paritarie}.

Italian secularist associations are concerned the Government will modify the law in order to maintain an exception for religious schools. The secularist magazine MicroMega describe the court’s judgement as historic.

The Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR) has launched a petition which now has more than 11,000 signatures, asking the government to respect and execute the sentence of the Supreme Court. It is also encouraging citizens to ask for application of the law in their local municipalities.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Women’s rights advocate and Georgetown University Law Center graduate Sandra Fluke was the keynote speaker at a women’s health event Tuesday night in Nebraska.

Fluke was the headliner in Lincoln, Nebraska at the Rococo Theatre for the annual fundraiser of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, titled: “The Big Event: Courage — No Matter What”. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her fiancé and “Mr. President”, their pet dog. After graduating cum laude with her J.D. degree this past May, Fluke successfully took and passed the bar exam in July and is now an attorney.

In an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star, Fluke reflected on her role as a public figure and her ability to contribute to the contribute to the discourse about women’s rights, “It’s uplifting and heartening to see how many people really care about the issues I’m talking about.” Fluke observed, “I think it’s also allowed me to give a voice and shine a light on the work that a lot of people are doing.”

Fluke’s speech centered on women’s rights, women’s healthcare, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. She stressed the importance of women’s issues in the recent election for U.S. President: “This year, something changed in our national conversation about women’s health…. Before my time, women’s healthcare has never decided a presidential election. We really did make a difference this election.” She spurred on attendees of the event to become more active in supporting women’s rights: “It’s time for young women in this country to join the fight, because it’s our rights and our health that are at stake.”

Planned Parenthood regional development and planned gifts director Tari Hendrickson told the Lincoln Journal Star Sandra Fluke was her top choice for keynote speaker at the event: “Sandra was No. 1 on my list; I never had a No. 2. She’s a voice of reason. I think she has raised the bar for rational conversation about a serious issue.”

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Planned Nebraska communications manager Susan Allen told the Daily Nebraskan Sandra Fluke was the ideal person to serve as keynote speaker: “She is a wonderfully outspoken person on the affordable care act, women’s health and women’s rights. We decided she would be the perfect person to speak to Planned Parenthood supporters.”

Planned Parenthood intern and University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Emily Schiltz commented on landing Fluke as the keynote speaker, “She is definitely the biggest person we’ve had in a long time.”

“I feel like she walks the walk rather than talk the talk,” said Planned Parenthood intern and journalism student Audrey Nance.

Fluke indicated her intention was to persevere in speaking about issues she thinks important: “I think my ultimate goal is giving a voice to people who don’t always have one.”

She has been named as a candidate by Time magazine in a November 26 announcement, for their Person of the Year. Time concluded Fluke helped give U.S. President Barack Obama an edge in his presidential re-election campaign.

Fluke was a featured speaker on September 5 at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fluke spoke to attendees at the convention about the consequences for women of electing Republican candidate for U.S. President, Mitt Romney, over incumbent President Barack Obama. Fluke has campaigned with President Obama in his bid for re-election.

She was recognized April 22 with the Stand Up for Choice Award. Fluke was given the Stand Up for Choice Award at the “Third Annual Multi-Generational Brunch” of the organization NARAL Pro-Choice America which was held in New York City (NYC), New York in the United States.

Fluke received a nomination in March as a candidate for Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. The list is released annually as a special edition of Time magazine, titled Time 100.

She gave testimony to the US Congress on February 23 before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee at a hearing about women’s health and contraception. She also worked for Sanctuary for Families in NYC which worked to crack down on human trafficking and domestic violence.

The time is 18:00 (UTC) on June 27th, 2006, and this is Audio Wikinews News Briefs.

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Monday, May 25, 2009

The Church of Scientology in France is in court today, fighting charges that the organization has been a part of “escroquerie en bande organisee”, organized fraud. Prosecutors claim that the Church is engaged in illicit practices in attempts to sell their alleged self-help material. The Church also faces charges of illegally operating as a pharmacy by illegally treating individuals with prescription medications.

The charges come from an unnamed woman, who in 1998 purchased nearly 21,000 euros (US$30,000) worth of Scientology self-help material which allegedly included prescription drugs. After a few months passed, the woman said she felt like she was being scammed because her condition was not improving. Lawyers for the woman say the Church tries to make a profit by pressuring individuals into believing they are going to be cured of their illnesses.

She claims she spent her entire life savings on the organization’s products, including Scientology books, vitamins, and a device called an E-meter. Her attorneys say they will attempt to show that organized criminal fraud is inherent within Scientology practices. There were originally a total of five plaintiffs in the case, however three withdrew their complaints after coming to financial settlements with the Church of Scientology.

Following several complaints from other unnamed individuals and an investigation, investigating magistrate Jean-Christophe Hullin in January, ordered the Church’s “Celebrity Center” and bookstore in France and its seven managers to be put on trial for fraud and “illegally practicing as pharmacists”. Hullin stated that the Scientology organization is driven by “an absolute obsession with profit”, and is “first and foremost a commercial organisation”. Sophie-Helene Chateau, presiding judge in the case, stated that the court’s purpose is “to find whether the acts in question constitute a crime. … It is not up to the court to decide questions of society”.

If convicted, the managers of the Scientology organization in France under investigation could serve a ten year jail sentence in addition to a fine of one million euros. Those investigated include the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Paris itself, its manager Alain Rosenberg, and five other individuals. Rosenberg is the CEO of the Spiritual Association of the Church of Scientology-Celebrity Centre (ASES-CC), the official term for the Church of Scientology in France. One defendant died since the charges were initially filed against seven managers in the Scientology organization. The defendants are accused of “exerting a psychological hold” on vulnerable individuals so they would give money to Scientology.

In September of 2008, the Church released a statement saying that they felt “stigmatized” by the French judicial system.

“The special treatment reserved for the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center raises questions about the equality of the justice system and the presumption of innocence,” the Church said in a statement to the press. The Church denies all the charges and says that no one was manipulated into buying their material.

“If the church’s methods prove to be crooked then we must ask serious questions about whether it can be allowed to remain in business on French high streets,” said plaintiff’s attorney Olivier Maurice. If the Church is found guilty, Scientology could be fined approximately 5 million euros (US$7 million) and ordered banned in France. If banned in France, the Scientology organization then has the option to appeal, which could drag out the legal process. The trial will run until June 17.

According to French law the Scientology organization is regarded as a sect in the country, and not a religion. In 2006, a report of the parliament in France characterized Scientology as a “dangerous sect”. This is not the first time the Church has been accused of fraud in France. They have also been convicted of it several times, including the Church’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard who was convicted of fraud in 1978. In 1997 the Church was convicted of fraud in Lyon and 1999 in Marseille. “There are those who handed over tens of thousands of francs at the time. Now, it can be 300,000 euros per person, or more,” said Roger Gonet, a French former Scientologist who was a plaintiff against the organization in 1996. The 1978 convictions included Hubbard and his wife at the time, Mary Sue, both now deceased, and two other Scientologists. Hubbard, along with the two Scientologists fled France, never to return, and never served a prison term.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Penske Automotive Group, Inc., an Ohio-based investment group and Telesto Ventures have indicated separately that they are interested in purchasing the Saturn auto brand from General Motors (GM).

According to The Wall Street Journal, Nissan-Renault is interested in purchasing Saturn. Bloomberg, however, indicated that Nissan-Renault may be a partner of Penske’s potential bid. If Penske acquired the brand, they would distribute Saturn vehicles and outsource the assembly.

GM revealed that the Saturn brand along with Saab and Hummer were up for sale when unveiling their restructuring plans to Congress for governmental loans. While the Pontiac brand was originally to be a niche brand, GM had changed their plans recently and decided to eliminate the brand.

Telesto Ventures is an investment group that includes private equity firm Black Oak Partners LLC of Oklahoma City and several Saturn dealerships. Initially, Telesto will purchase Saturn branded cars from GM then act as a general retailer for foreign brands. Telesto is in talks with several foreign manufacturers.

The Ohio group includes many former senior auto company managers plus private financial backers, chemists and engineers who live in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Florida. This group plans to initially purchase cars from GM then purchase existing but closed plants due to automaker restructuring. Additionally, one of the partners indicated a willingness to accept some “legacy” cost in relation to the United Auto Workers. The Ohio group is also pursuing possible loans or other support from national and state governments.

GM is reviewing several offers for Saturn. GM has contracted with S.J. Girsky & Co. to advise them on the sale.