Sunday, August 13, 2006

The Australian federal government has announced that it will be introducing an electronic system for Medicare rebates within the next twelve months. Under the new system, patients will be able to receive their Medicare rebates electronically without having to visit a Medicare office.

During an interview in Sydney today, Prime Minister John Howard, along with his human services minister Joe Hockey and health minister Tony Abbott, announced that patients who pay for the services of a doctor using their credit cards will be able to receive their rebates electronically within 24 hours. Under the current system patients must visit a Medicare office to receive their rebates.

John Howard said the 80,000 people per day who queue at Medicare offices will no longer need to spend their lunch break in line at Medicare.

According to the government, doctors who bulk-bill their patients through Medicare will benefit through faster payments and reduced paperwork. “If it’s a bulk bill transaction; all they do is hand over their Medicare card,” said Mr Hockey.

“The Medicare card is swiped in the EFTPOS device, all is done.”

“Doctors will be rebated within 24 hours.”

“Currently doctors are rebated up to 14 days for bulk bill claims.”

The government claims that electronic rebates will be less expensive to process—costing only a few cents, compared to an estimated AUD $3.50 for an over-the-counter transaction. Despite this, patients who still wish to visit a Medicare office to receive their rebates will still be able to do so.

The minister for human services was quick to assure Australians that Medicare offices would remain open saying that over the past twelve months they have taken on an “expanded role” with the Family Assistance Office’s services being provided in Medicare offices.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Following the first major snow storm of the season, several cars were reported to be ‘entrapped’ by slick ice in the seaside city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ice was believed to be created when the snow, which fell during the night of December 9-10, was packed down by successive cars and trucks passing over it. By morning, several areas of the city had patches of slippery, low-traction crystalline water lying in wait for the next unsuspecting motor vehicle to pass over them. Soon enough, your correspondent witnessed cars which had slowed to a stop or were parked find that, try as they might, they were unable to move forward on the ice and were therefore stuck.

Luckily, most of the cars were able to extricate themselves after either slowly accelerating in a low gear, or ‘rocking’ the car back-and-forth to build up momentum. No one was reported injured, and the only damage believed to be done was the excessive wear and tear on the entrapped vehicles.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Qatari non-profit organization Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) launched a low emissions car at the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 18) in Doha. The car was designed and developed in Qatar.

Revealed during a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Centre, the car in addition to an internal combustion engine, includes an automotive thermoelectric generator designed to capture waste heat to produce hydrogen. GORD expects the heat waste collecting system to be compatible with any gasoline or compressed natural gas car.

GORD chairman Dr Al-Horr summarised the key concepts of the invention in a statement saying, “Our car produces electricity at no cost by capturing thermal waste energy, reducing costs and eliminating the need for an external source of electricity. Also, bulky compressed-hydrogen cylinders are a thing of the past, as our concept accomplishes the production of hydrogen by using water through fuel cells integrated within the car.”

Most of the energy in Qatari vehicle comes from the the car’s gasoline tank, supplemented by a thin film photo-voltaic panel on the roof. Normally in a combustion engine, chemical energy stored in a fuel, such as gasoline, is converted into heat energy through combustion. This heat energy is then converted into mechanical energy, manifested as an increase in pressure in the combustion chamber due to the kinetic energy of the combustion gases. The kinetic energy of these combustion gases are then converted into work; because of the inefficiencies in converting chemical energy into useful work, internal combustion engines have a theoretical maximum effiecincy of 37% (with what is achievable in day to day applications being about half of this). Of the chemical energy in the consumed fuel used by an internal combustion engine 40% is dissipated as waste heat. However, the Qatari vehicle uses a thermoelectric generator to convert this waste heat into electricity. Such generators are used in space vehicles, and produce electricity when thermoelectric materials are subjected to a temperature gradient, the greater the gradient the greater the amount of electrcity produced. In the GORD vehicle the electricity produced is used to electrolyse potable water to produce hydrogen which can be introduced into the vehicle’s existing fuel system.

The researchers showed that the heat waste collection engine caused a decrease in the car’s emissions, including a decrease of carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide emissions by more than 50%, the fuel efficiency increasing by 20%. On its website, GORD said that the heat waste collector engine is universal, “Any car can be adapted to accommodate the system as it doesn’t alter any electro-mechanical systems”.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Limassol. At least two people have died at a Cypriot army aircraft crash in the village of Kolossi this morning, west of the island’s southern coastal town of Limassol.

Kolossi is a community of some 2,000 Britons, Germans and Cypriots.

Director of the President’s Press Office Marios Karoyan told CNA that the aircraft was a PC – 9 (Pilatus). It is one of the two training military aircraft of the National Guard (Cyprus Army) and according to the first reports two people have died, believed to be the two pilots.

Defence Minister Kyriakos Mavronicolas and National Guard Commander Lieutenant-General Athanasios Nikolodemos have rushed to the area. Ambulances and fire engines are in the area.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

West Mercia Police have made the announcement that a five-year-old girl that was physically involved in a crash involving a car going into a river has died in Birmingham Children’s Hospital, United Kingdom. The child has been identified as Gabrielle Grady. She was also known as Gabby.

Gabrielle was involved in a vehicle crash on Thursday when the car she was in crashed into the River Avon in the town of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. There were three occupants in the Vauxhall Vectra, including Gabrielle, her six-year-old brother Ryan, and her 41-year-old father Chris Grady, who was driving the vehicle. It took 12 minutes for divers to free Gabrielle from the car, which was partially underwater.

West Mercia Police announced on Sunday that Gabby had died in Birmingham Children’s Hospital at approximately 1330 (1:30 pm) GMT that day. From the time of her entry into the hospital, she was considered to be in a critical condition. Her family was with her at the time of her death. West Mercia Police also commented that Ryan was still recovering in the hospital.

This incident is currently being treated as suspicious, with Chris Grady being remanded in custody for offences of attempted murder. The police have stated that this incident is currently being handled as a murder investigation.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Knut, Germany’s famous polar bear, turned one at the Berlin Zoo yesterday. For the celebration he had a healthy cake with fruits and vegetables, fish and rice on lettuce topped with a candle-shaped rolling pin.

The director of the zoo, Bernhard Blaszkiewitz, said: “I wish Knut that he will get as old as polar bears are supposed to get. So minimum 30 to 40 years, and that he finds a partner.” The way he looks and because he comes from Berlin, he will reproduce well, Blaszkiewitz said. Along with this, he referred to the high birth rate in Berlin.

When Knut was born a year ago, he was rejected by his mother Tosca. Keeper Thomas Dörflein took a parental role and reared Knut by hand. After a few months, Knut grew big and Thomas Dörflein could no longer play with him because he received bad bruises. At birth, Knut weighed 1.8 pounds, today, he weighs 220 pounds. Adult male polar bears can weigh up to 800 pounds.

Knut was the first polar bear born at the Berlin Zoo in 30 years. Millions of people came to see him from all over the world and the event which was dubbed “Knutmania” spawned a CD, a book and hour-long queues at the zoo.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

In solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street and other “Occupy” protests, activists set up camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Saturday, and they plan to remain indefinitely. The protest thus far has been described as “largely peaceful” by a police spokesman.

On Saturday, an estimated thousand or more people attempted to protest in Paternoster Square, the site of the London Stock Exchange, but were blocked by police enforcing a High Court judgment. Julian Assange from Wikileaks also joined the protest to address the activists. A flag flies over the occupation showing the ‘Anonymous’ logo of a headless man in a black suit.

At around 9:30am Wednesday, many campers were still asleep, but around 30–50 people were listening in solidarity to trade union representatives from the National Shop Stewards Network, while 20 to 30 officers from the City of London police watched on. On the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the speakers spoke about a variety of struggles including strikes by electricians that started in August against Balfour Beatty, one of Britain’s largest construction firms. Solidarity was expressed with the travellers at Dale Farm, and speakers described how the media and others were trying to “divide” workers, students and elderly people. One of the speakers said that while today they are occupying the square in London, “tomorrow we will be occupying universities and colleges” and spoke of the suspension of Vik Chechi, the Unison branch secretary who has been suspended by Queen Mary University. By 9:45am, the trade union talks had finished and the sound system was reactivated and reggae music started playing.

After the talks peter out, activity begins to resume on the site: people sorting out tents and serving food, under signs and banners playfully mixing politics (“The London Stock Exchange: Britain’s Biggest Casino”) with Internet memes (a Reddit cartoon man depicted saying “Y U NO JOIN US?”).