Heatwave sweeps USA, many struggling to keep cool

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Temperatures as high as 111°F (48°C) have hit the United States today, a continuation of Monday’s triple-digit (Fahrenheit) record highs in some areas.

High energy costs have many elderly and low income citizens keeping the air conditioning off, fixed incomes being blamed in many cases. In response to this, cities such as Chicago and New York have turned some public facilities into “cooling areas” for the duration. Buildings being converted include homeless shelters, senior centers, libraries and shopping malls. State agencies are urging anyone experiencing heat related symptoms to get to one of these places as soon as possible.

Early reports are attributing at least three dead from heat related complications in Philadelphia, Arkansas, and Indiana

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag warnings for six states, warning that the heat could easily lead to forest fires. Much of the northeast corridor and central plains states have been issued heat warnings.

Relief is in sight for the northeast, with storms bringing cooler weather from the Ohio Valley through New England; however the central part of the US won’t see a break in the heat until the weekend.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Heatwave_sweeps_USA,_many_struggling_to_keep_cool&oldid=4528521”

Federal Student Loan Forgiveness

By Ainuddin Mohamad

Performance is ultimately what really matters. Federal Student Loan forgiveness is an exceptional concept applicable to students only under certain circumstances. It means the loan amount received by students might be cancelled in half or in full amount by Federal Government. It is not impossible and depends completely on your work performance. If you want to be one of those special students who want to be a recipient of Federal Student Loan forgiveness, then act to your best.

You just need to show your excellent performance in the following ways:

1.Organize and perform volunteer work

2.Organize and perform military services

3.Teach/preach/practice medicine in selected communities

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSHK0R6Tvo4[/youtube]

4.Make a thorough research and meet other criteria specified by loan forgiveness programs

In case of volunteer work, loan forgiveness is conducted by Ameri Corps, where the student needs to serve for one full year, get stipends and extra amounts that can be used towards loans. In another organization, Peace Corps, volunteers can specially apply for deferment of variety of loans like Stafford, Consolidation loans and Perkins loans with partial cancellation of Perkins Loans. This dream can come true in the lives of students only if they can serve with a difference and truly devote their time in work.

Students who are in military field can also make a mark in the lives of others and at same time contribute to Federal Student Loan forgiveness scheme. Students who are in Army front are therefore highly eligible for Student Loan Repayment program. In case of teaching, Federal Student Loan forgiveness program can be conducted only if the students can become full-time teachers in elementary or secondary schools, mainly teaching students who span the low-income family groups. Under this teaching plan scheme, the students are allowed to be forgiven of Perkins Loan under The National Defense Education Act. In legal field, many law schools forgive the loans of students who dedicatedly serve in public interest or non-profitable organizations. Federal student loan forgiveness programs for medical students include several plans like NIH AIDS Research Loan Repayment Programs, NIH General Research Loan Repayment Program, Indian Health Service [HIS] Loan Repayment Program and US Force, Army and Navy Financial Assistance Program. Under each of these plans, the student should work faithfully, if they want their loan to be forgiven.

Apart from these fields, there are other ways where Federal Student loan forgiveness program becomes successful. These fields include Bachelor’s Degree in Colleges of Arts and Sciences, where student will perform the job required in institutions. Students who receive the Michael Murphy Loan specially for studying Law enforcement, probation and parole, law and penology or other significant fields related to these studies, can work off one-fifth per year to get enrolled under Federal student loan forgiveness scheme.

Therefore, Federal Student Loan Forgiveness program is applicable when the student can perform the following activities:

1. Perform full-time/partial service as a teacher in designated/recognized elementary or secondary school teaching students who belong to low-income family groups.

2. Perform the role of a teacher teaching children suffering from some kind of disabilities.

3. Qualified professional teachers belonging to subjects like mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education.

4. Performing the role of an employee of public or non-profit child/family service agency providing services to high-risk children along with their families/

Perform any of these activities as per your loan status for acquiring Federal Student loan forgiveness.

About the Author: Ainuddin Mohamad is the Webmaster of the Crush Bad Credit website at

crushbadcredit.com

devoted to providing debt relief advice.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=180043&ca=Finances

Fishermen make “very rare” find in Siberia

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

In Siberia, fishermen made what experts are calling a “very rare” discovery. A complete and nearly intact skeleton of a mammoth has been found in Krasnoyarsk, Russia off the shores of a small lake. The skeleton became visible when waters from a recent flood receded.

“It happens very rarely. I’ve been in the area 14 years and this is the first time. The bones are usually spread around over a wide area. The find has retained a backbone, a skull with teeth and a tusk and other anatomic details,” said Alexander Kerzhayev, deputy director of the museum and archeologist in Novoselovo, Russia.

Kerzhayev also said that the mammoth appeared to have lived until about 50-years old. “It was an adult mammoth, judging by the size of bones it was at least 50 years old,” he added also saying the mammoth appeared to have died from being sick.

However, Kerzhayev also says that the museum does not have the resources to retrieve the remains and that “no one seems to care” about the discovery adding that small portions of the animal could be retrieved.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Fishermen_make_%22very_rare%22_find_in_Siberia&oldid=4581428”

Civilians dead following U.S. air strike on ‘terrorist compound’

Monday, July 4, 2005

17 Afghan civilians, including women and children, are thought to be have been killed as the result of U.S. aircraft bombing the village of Chechal in the east of Afghanistan late last week, said a governor.

The air strike occurred last Friday in the same area as an elite U.S. military team went missing three days ago.

Provincial governor Assadullah Wafa told the Associated Press “seventeen civilians died in the U.S. bombing of the village.” He went on to comment that casualties consisted of women and children, though he did not know the exact figure.

A U.S. military statement claimed that the “compound” bombed was a “known operating base for terrorist attacks in Kunar province as well as a base for a medium-level terrorist leader,”

The statement, written after criticism in the press of the U.S. military’s lack of precaution in these matters, then went on to say the U.S. armed forces “regret the loss of innocent lives and follow stringent rules of engagement specifically to ensure that non-combatants are safeguarded. However, when enemy forces move their families into the locations where they conduct terrorist operations, they put these innocent civilians at risk.”

One member of the missing military team has been recovered and is currently being “evaluated” on Monday, a U.S. Defence Department spokesperson said, though he refused to comment on details regarding his whereabouts and health.

Afghan and U.S. forces are currently in the Kunar province searching for members of the missing military team. U.S. officials at the time of the bombing said in a statement that the attack utilised “precision-guided munitions that resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of enemy terrorists and non-combatants,”

The statement continued, concluding that “battle damage assessment is currently ongoing.”

In May, Afghan president Hamid Karzai voiced his concerns over the excessive number of civilian casualties as a result of US-led operations.

Some observers have speculated that the attack on the village was a deliberate response to the downing of a US transport helicopter last month. In that incident, 16 troops died in the worst single blow to American forces since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Civilians_dead_following_U.S._air_strike_on_%27terrorist_compound%27&oldid=4503851”

Wikinews interviews former Salt Lake City mayor and 2012 presidential candidate Rocky Anderson

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Former Salt Lake City mayor and human rights activist Rocky Anderson took some time to discuss his 2012 U.S. presidential campaign and the newly-created Justice Party with Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn.

Anderson served as mayor of Salt Lake City for eight years (2000–2008) as a member of the Democratic Party. During his tenure, he enacted proposals to reduce the city’s carbon emissions, reformed its criminal justice system, and positioned it as a leading sanctuary for refugees. After leaving office, Anderson grew critical of the Democratic Party’s failure to push for impeachment against President George W. Bush, and for not reversing policies on torture, taxes, and defense spending. He left the party earlier this year and announced that he would form a Third party.

Anderson officially established the Justice Party last week during a press conference in Washington D.C.. He proclaimed “We the people are powerful enough to end the perverse government-to-the-highest-bidder system sustained by the two dominant parties…We are here today for the sake of justice — social justice, environmental justice and economic justice.” The party promotes campaign finance reform and is attempting to appeal to the Occupy Wall Street movement. It is currently working on ballot access efforts, and will hold a Founding Convention in February 2012 in Salt Lake City.

Among other issues, Anderson discussed climate change, health care, education, and civil liberties. He detailed his successes as mayor of Salt Lake City, stressed the importance of executive experience, and expressed his views on President Barack Obama and some of the Republican Party presidential candidates. He spoke in depth about former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, with whom he worked during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and fellow Utahan, former governor and U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, Jr..

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_interviews_former_Salt_Lake_City_mayor_and_2012_presidential_candidate_Rocky_Anderson&oldid=4635257”

Project Portfolio Management Projects Must Position The Firm For Future Success

Submitted by: Jessie L Warner

This is the last article in a series of articles discussing how to effectively use project portfolio management in your business. In this article, I want to talk about how projects should contribute to the firm s health and help position the firm for future success.

Remember, for project portfolio management to be effective, projects must:

1.Be aligned with the firm s strategy and goals

2.Be consistent with the firm s values and culture

3.Contribute (directly or indirectly) to a positive cash flow for the enterprise.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KafgR2WEgY[/youtube]

4.Effectively use the firm s resources both people and resources

5.Not only provide for current contributions to the firm s health but must help to position the firm for future success.

Projects Must Contribute to the Firm s Health

When we talk about a firm s health, we are typically referring to the financial stability of the company. In an article by Lynn Westergard titled Measuring Company Health Via Cash Flow Ratios he refers to the Statement of Cash Flows as being the best indicator for measuring health. The most useful cash flow ratios fall into two general categories. The first group consists of ratios that test for solvency and liquidity: operating cash flow, fund flow coverage, cash interest coverage and cash debt coverage. The second group of ratios indicates the viability of a business as an ongoing concern. It includes “cash to capital expenditures” (CE) and “cash to total debt” (TD) ratios.

Without going into a class on how to interpret financial statements, let s summarize what Lynn Westergard said by simply stating that for a firm to be healthy it must be able to meet its current liabilities and be in a position to finance its future growth. Because projects are often resource and cash intensive, selecting the right projects are key to the health of the firm. Projects that contribute to the financial stability of the company provide additional cash flow and financial leverage to help the company be profitable today and in the future. Selecting the wrong projects can cause unnecessary debt in both the short-term and long-term, as well as significantly impact the firm s ability to grow.

Projects Must Help Position the Firm for Future Success

Along with their ability to contribute to the firm s current health, projects must help position the firm for future success. Below are few questions to consider when selecting projects:

– Will this project provide a competitive advantage for my company?

– Does the project enhance my product or service offering?

– Can I use the project to demonstrate company stability?

– Can I use the project as a reference to help me get more projects?

– Does the project provide future cash flows to help sustain my company s growth?

– When can I expect a return on my investment? Is it a short-term or long-term return?

I m sure that are many more questions you could ask, but the real point here is that for project portfolio management to be effective, you must consider the company s future when selecting projects. Will it help the company be more successful or will it hurt the company?

About the Author: Jessie L. Warner, MBA and a life-long student of project management, seeks to promote the need for and benefits of project management software. Learn more about AtTask by visiting

attask.com

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=579292&ca=Business+Management

Greenspan’s testimony suggests “more of the same”

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve has suggested that there will be more of the same in coming months from the Fed. In his speech during testimony before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday, Mr. Greenspan noted that the economic fundamentals of the U.S. appeared to be stable. On Thursday, Greenspan spoke before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services and when faced with questions regarding Social Security reform issues, he hinted that he was in favour of partial privatization of Social Security – but the general consensus on Wall Street is to expect more of the same.

However, economic advisors were somewhat disappointed that most of the testimony in both speechs was focused on the upcoming Social Security reform and did not address monetary policy as broadly as they’d hoped. Mike Moran, chief economist at Daiwa Securities America Inc, is quoted in the Investors Business Daily as saying “Chairman Greenspan provided few explicit insights into his plans for monetary policy.”

Greenspan reiterated his concerns about market reactions to the burgeoning federal deficit. “We are not sure to what extent and how much the market will respond,” he said.

Parsing Greenspan’s reports to Congress is a Wall Street obsession, but the general consensus from his recent testimony is to expect little change in the current Fed policy. Economists expect “measured” hikes to the central bank’s short-term interest rates from the next few meetings of Fed policy-makers.

“In my view the bottom line is that we are in for more of the same,” said Steve Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital to the Associated Press.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Greenspan%27s_testimony_suggests_%22more_of_the_same%22&oldid=418629”

Predictable random number generator discovered in the Debian version of OpenSSL

Friday, May 16, 2008

A major security hole was discovered in the pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) of the Debian version of OpenSSL. OpenSSL is one of the most used cryptographic software, that allows the creation of secure network connections with the protocols called SSL and TLS. It is included in many popular computer programs, like the Mozilla Firefox web browser and the Apache web server. Debian is one of the most used GNU/Linux distributions, on which are based other distributions, like Ubuntu and Knoppix. The problem affects all the Debian-based distributions that were used to create cryptographic keys since the September 17, 2006. The bug was discovered by Luciano Bello, an argentine Debian package maintainer, and was announced on May 13, 2008.

This vulnerability was caused by the removal of two lines of code from the original version of the OpenSSL library. These lines were used to gather some entropy data by the library, needed to seed the PRNG used to create private keys, on which the secure connections are based. Without this entropy, the only dynamic data used was the PID of the software. Under Linux the PID can be a number between 1 and 32,768, that is a too small range of values if used to seed the PRNG and will cause the generation of predictable numbers. Therefore any key generated can be predictable, with only 32,767 possible keys for a given architecture and key length, and the secrecy of the network connections created with those keys is fully compromised.

These lines were removed as “suggested” by two audit tools (Valgrind and Purify) used to find vulnerabilities in the software distributed by Debian. These tools warned the Debian maintainers that some data was used before its initialization, that normally can lead to a security bug, but this time it was not the case, as the OpenSSL developers wrote on March 13, 2003. Anyway this change was erroneously applied on September 17, 2006, when the OpenSSL Debian version 0.9.8c-1 was released to the public.

Even though the Debian maintainer responsible for this software released a patch to fix this bug on May 8, 2008, the impact may be severe. In fact OpenSSL is commonly used in software to protect the passwords, to offer privacy and security. Any private key created with this version of OpenSSL is weak and must be replaced, included the session keys that are created and used only temporary. This means that any data encrypted with these keys can be decrypted without a big deal, even if these keys are used (but not created) with a version of the library not affected, like the ones included in other operating systems.

For example any web server running under any operating system may use a weak key created on a vulnerable Debian-based system. Any encrypted connection (HTTPS) to this web server established by any browser can be decrypted. This may be a serious problem for sites that requires a secure connection, like banks or private web sites. Also, if some encrypted connection was recorded in the past, it can be decrypted in the same way.

Another serious problem is for the network security software, like OpenSSH and OpenVPN, that are used to encrypt the traffic to protect passwords and grant the access to an administrative console or a private network protected by firewalls. This may allows hackers to gain unwanted access to private computers, networks or data traveled over the network, even if a not affected version of OpenSSL was used.

The same behavior can be applied to any software or protocol that use SSL, like POP3S, SSMTP, FTPS, if used with a weak key. This is the case of Tor, software used to offer strong anonymity on the TCP/IP, where about 300 of 1,500-2,000 nodes used a weak key. With 15-20% of weak Tor nodes, there is a probability of 0.34-0.8% circa to build a circuit that has all tree nodes weak, resulting in a full loss of anonymity. Also the case of only one weak node begin used may facilitate some types of attack to the anonymity. The Tor hidden services, a sort of anonymous public servers, are affected too. However the issue was speedily addressed on May 14, 2008.

The same problem also interested anonymous remailers like Mixmaster and Mixminion, that use OpenSSL to create the remailer keys for the servers and the nym keys for the clients. Although currently there is no official announcement, at least two remailer changed their keys because were weak.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Predictable_random_number_generator_discovered_in_the_Debian_version_of_OpenSSL&oldid=4408671”

Nigeria’s cabinet dissolved by acting president

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Nigeria’s acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, has announced the dissolution of the country’s cabinet.

In a statement after a cabinet meeting, Nigeria’s information minister, Dora Akunyili, said that “the acting president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, dissolved the Federal Executive Council [cabinet].” In the same statement, Akunyili said that Jonathan had provided no reason for the move, although analysts said that it was due to the impediment of the cabinet to Jonathan’s efforts to put his own mark on the office.

According to Akunyili, the move would not lead to a power vacuum, as the permanent secretaries will step up to take the positions vacated. Jonathan had taken over the role of acting president in February after President Umaru Yar’Adua temporarily stepped down due to sickness, and the cabinet had been entirely appointed by Yar’Adua.

In Akunyili’s statement, she said that an official statement from Jonathan as to the future of the cabinet would be released soon. Additionally, at some time in the future, Jonathan will submit to the National Assembly a list of his submissions for the next incarnation of the cabinet.

In a statement released from the president’s office, a spokesman said that it was “the prerogative of the president to change the cabinet whenever he feels the need to inject new blood, reinvigorate the cabinet and give it a new focus.” According to another, unnamed, government official, the cabinet had become paralyzed by infighting, impeding attempts of governance on major issues.

Yar’Adua has recently returned to Nigeria after being treated for a heart ailment in Saudi Arabia, but has made no public appearances. As a reflection of his impaired condition, Nigeria’s election next year has been brought forward three months, and the ruling People’s Democratic Party, of which both Yar’Adua and Jonathan belong to, has announced that its candidate in those elections will be a Muslim, preventing Jonathan, a Christian, from running. The decision follows a tradition of alternating between Muslim and Christian candidates, allowing each two four-year terms.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Nigeria%27s_cabinet_dissolved_by_acting_president&oldid=4528936”

Portable Air Conditioning Units

Portable air conditioning units

by

Gareth Hoyle

Whether it is an office, shop or sports centre, you need to keep any area ventilated and cool in order for people to feel comfortable and content in their surroundings. If a building is too hot, you will become dehydrated and feel unwell the heat can be detrimental to your health and can cause untold problems. This is why portable air conditioning units have increased significantly in popularity in recent years. Portable air conditioning units are a sure-fire way to maintain a certain temperature in a room; they can be altered and adjusted to suit all requirements, no matter how specific or detailed. Yet where do you go in order to purchase the best portable air conditioning units that money can buy? Where will give you the best products for the most competitive prices? The answer is to visit cas-hire.co.uk. They are market leaders that provide only the finest portable air conditioning units that money can buy and are guaranteed to cater for all tastes, no matter how specific. Simple designs and unique technology mean that these portable air conditioning units are innovative and long lasting, and they will be essential in any home or office. If you work or own a commercial premise then portable air conditioning units are perfect for you! All products are furnished with an adjustable fan and a two speed grille and the temperature of these portable air conditioning units is controlled and monitored by a built in thermostat which makes sure that the heating is set at the right warmth for your liking. You are sure to discover something you love at cas-hire.co.uk! A timer switches off these portable air conditioning units at regular intervals, which is an environmentally friendly way of using energy, and a washable filter makes sure that everything is kept spotless and fresh. Portable air conditioning units are quiet and subtle they are never intrusive or distracting and are a vital addition to your business or living quarters. They can be connected via a door, window or wall, which makes them universally simple to install. So go to http://www.cas-hire.co.uk/ now and pick up portable air conditioning units at your convenience! You wont be disappointed!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEXRCqVs5nM[/youtube]

Cas-hire.co.uk can supply a wide range of

portable air conditioning units

, giving you a fantastic cooling solution for use in your home, office, retail outlet or leisure centre.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com