Australian PM announces $1.8 billion mental health plan
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Australian Prime Minister John Howard has announced a five year plan costing AU$1.8 billion to address issues with the country’s mental health system. The plan follows a commitment made at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in February. The federal government will improve access to clinical and health services, increase the number of mental health professionals in Australia, create mental health work teams consisting of GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health nurses, provide respite services for people suffering mental illness and their carers, and introduce new programs for community awareness. Mr Howard said the plan addresses issues which fall into its area of responsibility. He hopes that the states and territories will complement the federal government’s package by investing in supported accommodation, hospital and emergency services, crisis care services and the provision of mental health care in gaols. Under the federal government’s plan, psychologists will…
Gastric bypass surgery performed by remote control
Sunday, August 21, 2005 A robotic system at Stanford Medical Center was used to perform a laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery successfully with a theoretically similar rate of complications to that seen in standard operations. However, as there were only 10 people in the experimental group (and another 10 in the control group), this is not a statistically significant sample. If this surgical procedure is as successful in large-scale studies, it may lead the way for the use of robotic surgery in even more delicate procedures, such as heart surgery. Note that this is not a fully automated system, as a human doctor controls the operation via remote control. Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is a treatment for obesity. There were concerns that doctors, in the future, might only be trained in the remote control procedure. Ronald G. Latimer, M.D., of Santa Barbara, CA, warned “The fact that surgeons may have to…
Toxic chemical spills in the Ohio River
Thursday, March 1, 2007 At least 10,300 gallons of a toxic chemical, Cumene, also called isopropyl benzene, which is generally used in paint thinner, fuels, and rubber, spilled from a barge after it hit a wall of an underwater moveable dam in the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky, according to the United States Coast Guard. “There’s a tremendous volume of water going through there, so there’s a dilution factor, and this will be taken into consideration as they try to take measures to contain it,” said a spokeswoman for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Maggie Carson. The barge, which held at least 960,000 gallons of the chemical, hit the dam owned by Kirby Marine at Brookport, Illinois. The barge still blocks the river, leaving the waterway open to traffic going in one direction at a time for at least one mile on the river. Authorities have stated that the…
Beauty Tips For Men
More On This Topic: Australian Minor Surgery Clinics Site Makeup for men is becoming increasingly popular for that groomed shaved handsome looks of ramp models that make the men so desirable. Here are some tips that men can use. Shaving is the most typical start to a man’s day. Getting a good shave involve skins sensitivity- how the skin reacts to razors and shaving products. The use of a sharp metal blade to your face removes hair but also removes a small layer of skin that can cause irritation. Apply warm water to face prior to you shaving cream. Let shaving cream rest on face 2-3 minutes before starting to shave. Once complete rinse face with cold water (this seals the pores). A good daily skin care routine includes cleansing, followed by a gentle facial exfoliant scrub, which also enhances shaving ease and comfort. Wind and sun can really cause…
Doha round of trade talks suspended after negotiations fail
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 The director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Pascal Lamy, suspended negotiations in the Doha round of trade talks on Monday, after a meeting of six “core” negotiators India, Brazil, the United States, European Union, Japan, and Australia in Geneva failed to make any headway in reconciling differences over agricultural trade liberalisation. The US wanted cuts in import tariffs for farm products, which were rejected by EU, Japan and India, who asked for cuts in agricultural subsidies. Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, told the Financial Times: “If the US continues to demand dollar-for-dollar compensation in market access [cutting tariffs] for reducing domestic support, no one in the developing world will ever buy that and the EU will not either.” Brazil also identified the US stand on subsidies as the reason the talks failed. Susan Schwab, the US trade representative, said that the other countries sought…
Controversy over effects of new bankruptcy law on victims of Katrina
Sunday, September 25, 2005 Hurricane Katrina has rekindled debate over the controversial Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, in the U.S. House of Represenatives. Congressional Democrats feel that among the hundreds of thousands of victims of Katrina, many of whom have lost all their possessions and are coping with relocation, those that declare bankruptcy should be granted the protections of the previous law. 32 Democrats have sponsored a proposal that would delay implementing certain parts of the law to “insure that we do not compound a natural disaster with a man made financial disaster.” The new bankruptcy law affects anyone whose income (as of the six months before filing) was over the state median income. Democratic legislators point out that many hurricane victims who manage to find work will be suffering from wage reductions, making them unable to effectively deal with their previous debts. Among U.S. states,…
130 OECD countries agree to back global corporate tax rate
Sunday, July 4, 2021 On Thursday, 130 countries and jurisdictions in the 139-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) agreed to support an overhaul to the international taxation system that would introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate, committing most of the world’s economies to a two-pillar “solution”. The states which agreed to the plan’s key components included regional divisions such as Gibraltar, Hong Kong and Montserrat, tax havens according to the Associated Press (AP) Bermuda and the Cayman Islands and all Group of Twenty (G20) countries, according to an OECD list, but not Barbados, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Peru also abstained, but due to its lack of government, reported The Guardian. Those that have signed represent over 90% of global gross domestic product (GDP). A press release by the OECD called the framework the result of “negotiations coordinated by…
Your Hospital Choice Will Matter A Lot
More On This Topic: Health Insurance Plans For Opt Status Not all hospitals are created equal. Most people don’t really thing about the selection of a hospital. When they need a procedure done they often times go to the hospital the doctor doing the surgery is affiliated with. In emergency situations, people are either taken to a hospital where the ambulance takes them or go to the nearest hospital from where they presently are. People often do not even know if they are being medically cared for by a reputable hospital.If you want to locate the best hospitals in your area you can do some simple research. There usually is rating information on the hospitals in your area. Good hospitals are often nominated for excellence in certain categories. You may not be fortunate to live near a top rated hospital. IF you feel you need to be treated in one…
Germany legalises medical use of cannabis
Friday, January 20, 2017 Yesterday, the German Bundestag passed a law to legalise cannabis drug for medicinal purposes. The law is to come under effect in March. “Seriously ill people must be treated in the best ways possible” ((de))German language: ?Schwerkranke Menschen müssen bestmöglich versorgt werden., German health minister Hermann Gröhe tweeted. Doctors can prescribe marijuana — cannabis — for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, or loss of appetite or nausea from cancer’s chemotherapy treatment. Christian Democrats (CDU) lawmaker Rainer Hayek said this law would still prevent recreational use of cannabis. The cost of cannabis is to be covered under health insurance. Patients can buy dried buds or cannabis extracts from pharmacies with a prescription or get synthetic derivatives from other countries, though possession of the drug in large quantities is not allowed. Cannabis cultivation is to be monitored by the government. Germany has joined other European countries…
Schools benefit from new California budget
Saturday, July 1, 2006 California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bipartisan state budget Friday that invests a record $55.1 billion in education – an increase of $3.1 billion this year and $8.3 billion over the last two years – and allocates $4.9 billion to create a budget reserve and to pay down the state’s debt early. Schwarzenegger credited bipartisan cooperation in coming up with a budget he was willing to sign, and do it on time, a rarity in recent California politics. “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when Democrats and Republicans work together in Sacramento,” said Schwarzenegger. “I want to thank the legislative leadership – Senators Don Perata and Dick Ackerman, Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assembly Republican Leader George Plescia – for all their hard work on the budget. We put politics aside and were driven by the overwhelming desire to do what’s best for the people of California.…