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‘Astonishing’ figures show 800 Scottish NHS staff earning over £140,000

Sunday, November 28, 2010

In tough financial times we need to make sure that our focus is on patient care and every penny is spent in the most efficient way.

Over 800 National Health Service staff in Scotland are earning more than £140,000 each year—more than First Minister Alex Salmond. New figures also reveal that 3,000 NHS workers are earning over £100,000. One NHS board alone, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, employs 893 staff earning more than £100,000, and 181 being paid over £140,000.

Jackie Baillie, health spokeswoman for the Labour Party, which uncovered the figures, said they were “astonishing”, and urged health boards to examine if savings can be made by reducing salaries of top earners. “This is a far better option than cutting frontline staff like nurses and midwives. In tough financial times we need to make sure that our focus is on patient care and every penny is spent in the most efficient way.” She further said: “In the current economic climate, it is impossible to justify huge salaries for consultants and senior executives when health boards are planning 4000 job losses this year, including 1500 nurses and midwives.”

Britain’s largest health service industrial union, Unison, questioned the amount of money the NHS was paying. A spokesperson said: “Unison doesn’t begrudge anybody the rate of pay for the job but obviously our membership will be concerned that while they are to face a pay freeze and people delivering frontline services are losing their jobs, there is a cohort of folk who appear to earn more than the most senior politician in the land.”

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Chula Vista, California becomes model for blight control laws in the US

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The San Diego, California suburb of Chula Vista has responded to the recent housing crisis with an aggressive blight control ordinance that compels lenders to maintain the appearance of vacant homes. As foreclosures increase both locally and throughout the United States, the one year old ordinance has become a model for other cities overwhelmed by the problem of abandoned homes that decay into neighborhood eyesores.

Chula Vista city code enforcement manager Doug Leeper told the San Diego Union Tribune that over 300 jurisdictions have contacted his office during the past year with inquiries about the city’s tough local ordinance. Coral Springs, Florida, and California towns Stockton, Santee, Riverside County, and Murietta have all modeled recently enacted anti-blight measures after Chula Vista’s. On Wednesday, 8 October, the Escondido City Council also voted to tighten local measures making lenders more accountable for maintenance of empty homes.

Lenders will respond when it costs them less to maintain the property than to ignore local agency requirements.

Under the Chula Vista ordinance lenders become legally responsible for upkeep as soon as a notice of mortgage default gets filed on a vacant dwelling, before actual ownership of the dwelling returns to the lender. Leeper regards that as “the cutting-edge part of our ordinance”. Chula Vista also requires prompt registration of vacant homes and applies stiff fines as high as US$1000 per day for failure to maintain a property. Since foreclosed properties are subject to frequent resale between mortgage brokers, city officials enforce the fines by sending notices to every name on title documents and placing a lien on the property, which prevents further resale until outstanding fines have been paid. In the year since the ordinance went into effect the city has applied $850,000 in fines and penalties, of which it has collected $200,000 to date. The city has collected an additional $77,000 in registration fees on vacant homes.

Jolie Houston, an attorney in San Jose, believes “Lenders will respond when it costs them less to maintain the property than to ignore local agency requirements.” Traditionally, local governments have resorted to addressing blight problems on abandoned properties with public funds, mowing overgrown lawns and performing other vital functions, then seeking repayment afterward. Chula Vista has moved that responsibility to an upfront obligation upon lenders.

That kind of measure will add additional costs to banks that have been hit really hard already and ultimately the cost will be transferred down to consumers and investors.

As one of the fastest growing cities in the United States during recent years, Chula Vista saw 22.6% growth between 2000 and 2006, which brought the city’s population from 173,556 in the 2000 census to an estimated 212,756, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Chula Vista placed among the nation’s 20 fastest growing cities in 2004. A large proportion of local homes were purchased during the recent housing boom using creative financing options that purchasers did not understand were beyond their means. Average home prices in San Diego County declined by 25% in the last year, which is the steepest drop on record. Many homeowners in the region currently owe more than their homes are worth and confront rising balloon payment mortgages that they had expected to afford by refinancing new equity that either vanished or never materialized. In August 2008, Chula Vista’s eastern 91913 zip code had the highest home mortgage default rate in the county with 154 filings and 94 foreclosures, an increase of 154% over one year previously. Regionally, the county saw 1,979 foreclosures in August.

Professionals from the real estate and mortgage industries object to Chula Vista’s response to the crisis for the additional burdens it places on their struggling finances. Said San Diego real estate agent Marc Carpenter, “that kind of measure will add additional costs to banks that have been hit really hard already and ultimately the cost will be transferred down to consumers and investors.” Yet city councils in many communities have been under pressure to do something about increasing numbers of vacant properties. Concentrations of abandoned and neglected homes can attract vandals who hasten the decline of struggling neighborhoods. Jolie Houston explained that city officials “can’t fix the lending problem, but they can try to prevent neighborhoods from becoming blighted.”

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CEO Robert Klein of Safeguard, a property management firm, told the Union Tribune that his industry is having difficulty adapting to the rapidly changing local ordinances. “Every day we discover a new ordinance coming out of somewhere”, he complained. Dustin Hobbs, a spokesman from the California Association of Mortgage Bankers agreed that uneven local ordinances are likely to increase the costs of lending. Hobbs advised that local legislation is unnecessary due to California State Senate Bill 1137, which was recently approved to address blight. Yet according to Houston, the statewide measure falls short because it fails to address upkeep needs during the months between the time when foreclosure begins and when the lender takes title.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Chula_Vista,_California_becomes_model_for_blight_control_laws_in_the_US&oldid=4202756”
Epoxy Flooring

All You Need To Know About Sewer Pipe Repair

By Ryan Pauline

The last thing our house needs is a set of broken and damaged sewer pipes. Not only does it cause a lot to fix the problem, it also has the ability to burn a large hole in our wallets. Fixing it sounds very daunting, as there is the impression that the task is a very difficult one to accomplish. However, one needs to know that you do not need to have any advance skills and knowledge in plumbing in order to perform your very first sewer pipe repair.

1. You must first gain access to the broken sewer pipe. If it is found beneath a concrete floor, use a saw specifically designed to cut through the surface of concrete. Create a square pattern as you cute. After doing so, smash the area with a sledgehammer. The small bits of broken parts must then be removed using a prying bar. Use a shovel to remove any unwanted particles or dirt. This is the first step to sewer pipe repair.

2. Analyze the pipes and come to a conclusion as to what type of repair you must do in order to fix the problem. Take note of any tiny punctured holes and remedy them using repair clamps and gaskets. If there are any cracks too big to be unnoticed, then pipe removal is required.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6hVhNVzf7k[/youtube]

3. The use of repair clamps can be considered. To use such tool, you must first remove any particles surrounding the sewage pipe. Put the clamp gasket on top of the puncture and open the clamp using its hinges. You must then slide the bolts of the clamps inside the opening of the bolt and use a wrench to tighten it shut. After doing the task, test the effects of your efforts by turning on the water and allowing it to flow through the pipes.

4. Sewer pipe repair can also involve the removal of cracks on the pipes. You can opt to cut this part of the pipe using a reciprocal saw or even a hacksaw if the former is too large to be utilized. After each cut, smoothen the edges using a file, a sandpaper, or any rough clothing.

5. To replace the pipe’s broken parts you will need to get a newly cut pipe from your hardware store. With a measuring tape, acquire the overall length of the pipe that you will need to replace.

6. Use a repair coupling tool over the pipes to fill the gap until they cover the two sides of the joint wherein the sewer pipes and the replacement one meet together.

7. Finally, you will need to tighten the clamp to complete your sewer pipe repair. Use a screwdriver onto the screws of the clamp and turn it in a clockwise motion to tighten it. Check the results of your efforts by turning on your faucet and running water inside the pipes. Be sure to check for any small leaks so you will know whether or not you are successful on your attempt.

About the Author: Are you looking for more information regarding sewer pipe repair? Visit magicplumbing.com today!

Source: isnare.com

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Fire breaks out in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Fire broke out in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, at approximately 5pm on Sunday 21st January 2007. The site of the fire is inaccessible terrain in the Bobbin Head/Apple Tree Bay area.

For a time properties were threatened in Mount Ku-ring-gai, but this danger has now passed. The F3 freeway and northern train line were closed, causing freeway traffic to be banked up. The morning saw delayed traffic on the F3, which was briefly opened, but for the most part traffic was diverted onto the Pacific Highway at the Berowra Exit.

Around midday the F3 Freeway and Pacific Highway were closed until further notice, severing Sydney’s northern vehicular links. During Monday afternoon the railway line was closed. Traffic for the north was being routed inland via Wisemans Ferry Road, though Windsor. The Pacific Highway, F3 and railway line reopened at 6pm. Welfare centres have been opened for commuters who cannot get home. They are located at Berowra Community Centre (north of the fire) and Thornleigh Baptist Community Centre (south of the fire).

Overnight backburning along with a direct attack has seen the main threat dissipate with the southern fire front under control. On Monday morning spot fires continue to move north towards Cowan Creek. The wind has been picking up in the local area during Monday afternoon. The fire is proving difficult to contain due to spot fires and flying embers.

There has continuous helicopter activity over the area during Monday.

The NSW Rural Fire Service will be holding Community briefings at the Berowra Oval and Samuel King Park Bobbin Head Road Turramurra at 5.30pm today (Monday).

Tuesday saw continuing helicopter activity. Steady rain has been falling throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The Rural fire service has stated that it is now confident that the fire will be contained.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Fire_breaks_out_in_Ku-ring-gai_Chase_National_Park,_Australia&oldid=784300”

Read Santa Clara marks tenth anniversary

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Santa Clara, California, USA. The adult literacy program Read Santa Clara marked its tenth anniversary today with a gathering of program participants, staff, and supporters from the community. Read Santa Clara trains volunteer tutors and matches them with adult learners who wish to build their literacy skills.

In the presentation, program staff and supporters reviewed the program’s history and growth, honored long-time participants, and looked toward the future.

Santa Clara Mayor Patricia Mahan spoke at the gathering, noting, “Read Santa Clara joins people who need to learn with people who need to teach, and what a powerful combination that is.” She added, “I think adult literacy is so important.”

Program coordinators estimate that tutors volunteered some 5000 hours last year. City Manager Jennifer Sparacino estimates, “That’s worth about $100,000 per year in volunteer time.”

Learners also spoke about what Read Santa Clara meant to them. Raymond Moreno said, “I hope it stays for another ten, twenty, thirty years, because we need it.” Juan Velasquez said, “My life has changed a lot…I did many things I could not have done without help.” And Ike Moore said, “To be able to express myself…What a gift!”

 This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.
This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.Please note that this only applies to Wikinews content created prior to September 25, 2005. All content created after that date is released under a Creative Commons license which is mentioned at the bottom of each article. This is currently the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Read_Santa_Clara_marks_tenth_anniversary&oldid=2145865”
Money Transfer

Truthful Answers About Foreign Exchange

One of the largest money markets in the world today is the Forex market. Business people from around the globe meet both in person and online to negotiate different currencies for other currencies in the aim of making big money. But what is Foreign Exchange? How does it work? Whats involved with it? These and many more questions tend to come up when people look into the Forex market. The following is designed to help you discern what this new investment option is, how it works, and how you just might be able to make big bucks by working the system in your favor.

Here are some common questions relating to Forex Trading:

Who can share in the Forex Market?

Basically, only large financial organizations can. This boils down to multi-national banks and companies. There are some allowances for individuals to trade, but this must be done through a broker (and often leaves people open to fraud). There are a few arguements for this. First, the amount of money that is needed to make a decent make money in is usually more than a single individual can invest. Secondly, the way most trades are set up tend to make most of the money “on paper”, which means that while there is profit, it’s not usually profit you can take and directly put into your pocket. These two things alone make the Foreign Exchange fairly unappealing to individuals.

How can you make money in the Forex Market?

It does seem toilsome when you consider that most currency exchanges at only a couple of cents more or less. For a moment consider this, the Euro recently traded at 1.29524 United States dollars. A twenty-nine penny divergence doesn’t look like like that much money, particularly when you look at the fact it’s rare for the value of a currency to shift much more than a couple of cents either way unless some major economic change occurs in one of the countries. That said, the organizations that do these trades tend to interchange money in very voluminous sums. At that size of money, even two or three cent differences can end up being a lot of money. In this way, organizations can make a lot of money by taking part of Foreign Exchange.

Are there any other factors that keep individuals from becoming a trader in the Forex Market?

There are a few factors, yes. The primary reason is in the way currencies are purchased. In order to make their own profit, the people who perform the actual trades charge a certain amount extra beyond just the exchange rate. The more money you can trade at once, the smaller that difference is, until you get to the top tier of trading where the difference is literally thousandths and hundred thousandths of pennies. Most organizations and most individuals can’t trade that much money at once, so the differences that they are charged are much more, which in turn makes the draw of Forex trading less attractive.

What are the most common organizations to take part in Forex trading?

The largest organizations to take part in Forex trading are large banks. Given that they tend to have billions of dollars, they can often access the top tier of Forex trading. After that, it would be Commercial companies and Central banks. These two organizations tend to do the most “on paper” trading, trading over longer periods. After that, it would be investment management firms. These companies tend to exchange currencies more to secure foreign assets for their customers than to make a profit. Lastly, retail brokers who take part in the market on behalf of individuals make up about two per cent of the whole market.

What is the Forex Market?

The Foreign Exchange or Forex market is, at its most basic level, any place where one currency is exchanged for another currency. More specifically, it’s where one country’s currency is exchanged for another country’s currency. An organization, such as a bank or a company, in one country will exchange voluminous amounts of their own country’s currency for another country’s currency in the hopes that the exchange rate for the currencies will change in their favor. When and if they do, the organization will then exchange the foreign currency they have for their own country’s currency and will have made a profit.

Will Forex trading continue into the future?

For the near future, most certainly. One cannot, of course, foretell the future, but with as much money as is being made daily in Forex trading, it is doubtful that most people who are taking part would want to quit. When you add in the fact that many organizations simply cannot drop out of the market since they have so many assets tied up in it, you have a market that doesn’t show any sign of weakening. The only way the Forex market will die any time soon is if one or more of the current major trading countries has a huge economic downfall.

U.S. TV networks look to past for future programming

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Los Angeles, California — Four of six national television broadcast networks recently wooed potential advertisers for the 2005-2006 season with programming offerings in the new development phase. These included NBC, Fox, ABC and The WB. Two other networks, CBS and UPN, plan to preview their offerings March 24.

After four years of focusing on high-profile reality television, network executives are turning to the past for inspiration on scripted series. Some networks said they are “more consciously aggressive about developing shows” that recall such classics as Taxi and Barney Miller, Craig Erwich, a programming executive for Fox, told USA Today. In the same report, Kevin Reilly, NBC entertainment chief said, “I don’t think the answer has to be that it’s groundbreaking or something you’ve never seen before.”

But at least one ad buyer had reservations about the rear-view mirror technique. “Every network seems to be looking back rather than forward for programming ideas. The reminiscence factor may be good if you are looking for an older audience, but it may not be a way to bring in the younger audiences,” Laura Caraccioli-Davis, senior vice president and director of Starcom Entertainment told Mediaweek magazine.

  THE CONTENDERS: New series touted for possible inclusion in the 2005-2006 season
Network Development
ABC
Emily’s Reasons Why Not
(Sitcom) – an unmotivated teacher in a class of Type-A students.
Life
(Drama) – a group of young 20-somethings in Chicago facing life on their own.
Soccer Moms
(Drama) – two suburban mothers become private investigators.
Fox
Briar & Graves
(Drama) – a horror series in the vein of X-Files.
Hitched
(Comedy drama) – a brother and sister run a Las Vegas wedding chapel.
Kitchen Confidential
(Sitcom) – antics in an upscale New York restaurant.
The Loop
(Comedy) – the travails of a young Chicago executive.
New Car Smell
(Comedy) – a Brooke Shields star vehicle in a Las Vegas car dealership
Queen B
(Sitcom) – Alicia Silverstone as a trendsetting columnist.
Reunion
(Drama) – shows the lives of a group of friends over 20 years with each episode chronicling one year.
NBC
All In
(Sitcom) – Janeane Garofalo as a single mom and professional poker player in Las Vegas.
Dante
(Sitcom) – sports themed revolving around an NFL star.
Hot Property
(Sitcom) – the competitive world of the real estate agent.
Lies and the Wives We Tell Them
(Sitcom) – politically incorrect family comedy.
Notorious
(Sitcom) – Tori Spelling stars in a mockumentary of her life.
WB
Nobody’s Watching
(Sitcom) – two normal guys win a reality show where their lives become a sitcom.
Pepper Dennis
(Drama) – Rebecca Romijn as a modern Mary Richards-type journalist in Chicago.
Sisters
(Drama) – four sisters coping with life in the city.
Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._TV_networks_look_to_past_for_future_programming&oldid=4519895”

China overtakes Germany as world’s biggest exporter

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter.

The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 trillion, above Germany’s forecast $1.17 trillion.

Huang Guohua, a statistics official with the customs administration, said the December exports rebound was an important turning point for China’s export sector. He commented that the jump was an indication that exporters have emerged from their downslide.

“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports,” he said.

However, although China overtook Germany in exports, China’s total foreign trade — both exports and imports — fell 13.9% last year.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=China_overtakes_Germany_as_world%27s_biggest_exporter&oldid=3255271”
Audio Visual System

Why To Use Solar Power In Maui

January, 2014 byAlma Abell

Solar Power in Maui is becoming more and more popular with homeowners and business owners alike. Solar power can be used to power your residence as well as used for hot water, to replace a traditional hot water heater. There are many different reasons why switching to solar power makes sense.

One of the main reasons to change over is that using solar power decreases your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is defined as “the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.” By using natural resources, such as sunlight, the carbon footprint can be reduced. This is important to ensure the Earth and our environment stays healthy and sustainable. For example, by using a conventional water heater a four-person household will produce about eight tons of carbon dioxide annually. To put that into perspective, that is double than what an average car emits. A solar hot water system has the least impact on our environment than any traditional hot water system.

Many people may shy away from using solar power for the simple fact that they don’t understand it and believe that it is out of their budget range. Quite often, this is not the case. There are a variety of different types of solar energy equipment that you can use for your home or business, one of which is sure to fit within your monetary requirements. A solar water heating system may save the homeowner up to 90 percent of their water heating costs each month. Even just using a solar water heater may reduce the bill anywhere from 30 up to 50 percent. There are also State and Federal tax credits that may be available to those who choose to install a solar power system in their home or business.

If you are thinking about switching to Solar Power in Maui, check with a local business that has experience in this area such as The Sonshine Solar Corp. Do some research on your own so you can come to the meeting with questions in hand. Then, you will be able to make an informed decision on the system that would be right for your needs.

Iranian International Master Dorsa Derakhshani discusses her chess career with Wikinews

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

In February 2017, the Iranian Chess Federation announced two teenage chess players, Dorsa Derakhshani and her younger brother Borna Derakhshani, were banned from representing the national team. The federation announced their decision although Dorsa Derakhshani had previously decided and informed the chess federation she did not wish to play for Iran.

Dorsa Derakhshani is currently 21 years old and holds the International Master (IM) as well as Woman Grand Master (WGM) titles. Her brother, Borna, plays for the English Federation and holds the FIDE Master title.

Dorsa Derakhshani was banned since she did not wear a hijab, an Islamic headscarf, while competing at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in January 2017. Under the laws of Islamic Republic of Iran, hijab is a mandatory dress code. Her brother Borna Deraskhsani was banned for playing against Israeli Grand Master (GM) Alexander Huzman at the same tournament. Iran does not recognise the existence of Israel, and previously, Irani athletes have avoided playing against Israeli athletes.

Mehrdad Pahlavanzadeh, the president of the country’s chess federation, explained the decision to ban the players saying, “As a first step, these two will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran and in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.” ((fa))Farsi language: ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ????. He further stated, “Unfortunately, something that should not have happened has happened and our national interest is paramount and we have reported this position to the Ministry of Sports.” ((fa))Farsi language: ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ??? ? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????.

IM Dorsa Derakhshani, who currently studies at Saint Louis University in the United States and plays for the United States Chess Federation, discussed her chess career, time in Iran and the 2017 controversy, and her life in Saint Louis with a Wikinews correspondent.

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