Poor Planning the Cause of Texas Plant Explosion Last April

23. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Disasters · Tags: , , , , ,

The fertilizer plant explosion that killed at least 14 and injured 200 in Texas was the result of a US Federal law that failed to perform its intended function. The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know act, which allows companies to tell emergency responders about the hazardous chemicals of their properties, left many local firefighters and medical responders to actually fail to plan and train for the potential disaster the hazardous materials might induce.

The Texas plant, owned by West Fertilizer Company informed local emergency planning committees about its potentially deadly chemicals at its plant. However, emergency responders never acted upon the information and skipped to train for the explosion that would happen this year, last month.

The poor planning had claimed 14 lives. The first responders actually claim that they never received training to deal with such kinds of disasters in their community.

However, the law itself has a problem because it relies on small fire departments to plan and train for fires and explosions involving a high number of hazardous chemicals. These small fire departments do not have the resources, such as the technology and equipment needed, to contain such disasters.

The incident shows the big picture that the country is actually suffering from a lack of training and funding to deal with such events. The lack of preparedness do not only harm the people, but the emergency-responders themselves.

Source: Reuters

US Radar Moves in To Watch North Korea

02. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Politics · Tags: , , , , ,

The SBX-1, a powerful sea-based radar system that appears like a large oil rig, is now being moved closer into North Korean borders to monitor its activities after its warmongering threats in the last few days. The United States Navy said that the sea-based platform could detect North Korea’s military moves and also possible missile and armament launches.

The United states also moved a destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, into closer position to serve as defense against any possible use of nuclear weapons.

Despite North Korea’s threats, the joint military exercises of the United States and South Korea continued this year. South Korea announced on Monday that any significant moves from North Korea will be met with a strong response without any political forethought.

The United States used the South Korean military exercises to display its power and military force against North Korea. B-2 Stealth bombers, Cold War era B-52’s and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters flew over South Korean airspace, to which North Korea considered as acts of hostility
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Political analysts and South Koreans both said that they considered North Korea’s threats of war and rhetoric  to be a false promise. They claimed that the statements of the other Korean half were only normal. Experts say that North Korea does not have the military capability and thinktank to actually engage the allied nations in war, even its counterpart.

Source: CNN

Compensation Claims: Working Effectively With Your Claims Expert

18. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Law · Tags: , , , ,

Claims management companies are actually helpful when it comes to securing your compensation, but you cannot expect them to make your claim as fast as they intend it to be without your help. Here is a list of things you need to do to ensure that you could make your claim successful.

1. Provide All Important Details
Your claims expert is not a mind reader; they can only work with what information you provide. If you could provide them all the details of your claim, from your medical bills, lost wages and other details pertaining to your compensation claim, you have a better chance of earning your claim’s complete compensation. It is important to ensure that they are valid claims companies; verify this by asking about their claims regulation number.

2. Meet Regularly
It is a good choice to go with a claims managing company within your city or at least 1 hour away from your home because you could regularly meet them to discuss your claim. You can get updates through the phone and email, but personal discussion is a must especially when dealing with claims issues and direction.

3. Patience
Claims management companies will do anything to ensure their marketability to the point they may claim guarantees that could fail as the claim proceeds. Just continue to be patient. If your CMC is under a no win no fee basis, you should not worry at all because you don’t need to pay them anything if they fail to get all your compensation.

CIA Torture Claims Rejected by John Brennan Confidently During Senate Hearing

08. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Politics · Tags: , , , , , ,

John Brennan, current CIA director, confidently denied that he played a central role for the torture of suspected terrorists during his Senate confirmation hearing. He said that he was misled over the value of information obtained through “waterboarding”

John Brennan

Authorities discovering the CIA’s abduction and abuse of alleged terrorists at secret “black” sites following a 6,000 page Senate report concerned John Brennan’s role in the matter. However, Brennan pointed out that he himself is concerned and disturbed by the 6,000 page report. The report showed that the CIA lied and misrepresented the value of “enhanced interrogation techniques”.

Brennan was also questioned about what he knew of the CIA’s abduction and torture of suspected terrorists when he was CIA’s executive deputy director after 9/11. Another CIA official mentioned that Brennan “set the standards” for devising enhanced interrogation techniques and had received Justice Department Authority for these new methods.

Brennan still denied the accusations but he admitted that he knew about the program and objected to it. Why he did not stop it was because it was not his job. According to him, he was not in the chain of command of the program. He was aware of the program’s existence but he had no oversight in it and it’s creation.

Source: Guardian

Obama Rejects Arming Syrian Rebels in Civil War

08. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Politics · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Leon Panetta was the first Western leader to propose arming the Syrian rebels trying to overtake the Syrian Regime from current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Being the US Defence Secretary, Panetta along with the Pentagon supported a proposal of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to supply rebel forces with weapons and other supplies. Along with Panetta, General Martin Dempsey also supported the plan.

However, President Barack Obama did not permit arming the rebel faction with American weapons as he feared the weapons, due to the ensuing chaos and disorganization in the Syrian rebel armies, may be lost to al-Qaeda and other middle-east terrorist organizations. He said that he would not indirectly bring harm to the United States or the Israelis by bringing in Western supplies and arms.

However, Arizona Senator John McCain pointed out that the president has no more time as many lives are being lost until military action is finally realized. However, US officials on Thursday said that their assistance to the rebels would still be limited only to humanitarian and non-combat equipment. However, some American allies, such as Qatar and Turkey, are rumoured to supply arms to rebels.

The 21-month Syrian civil war has taken more than a total of 60,000 lives due to military and rebel skirmishes. The crisis continues to push onward, claiming more lives and shows no signs of an end except for the defeat of one side. Diplomatic attempts by the UN continue to pursue peace between sides, which seem impossible at the moment.

Source: Telegraph

Boeing May Have Underestimated Risk Values of 787 Plane Batteries

08. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Technology · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Earlier this year, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called for US Airlines, other aviation regulators worldwide to stop the usage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners due to the malfunction discovered in its battery, where a plane caught fire, and another plane produced smoked prompting for its immediate landing early this year. The FAA has cleared that Boeing conduct test flights of the planes to ensure its safety and find the root cause of the fire breakouts in the plane’s batteries.

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Boeing and FAA said that the test flights would collect data about the 787’s battery performance while airborne for precise information. Marc Britel, the spokesperson for Boeing, said that the data will help find the root cause of fire breakouts in the 787 battery incidents.

The flight tests would be conducted over defined airspace over unpopulated areas.

Another US regulator, the National Transportation Safety Board, said that the Boeing tests on the Dreamliner batteries missed the high risk of fire the batteries had. The NTSB’s investigation reports that Boeing’s safety checks suggested that a smoke event can happen once every 10 million flight hours.

The NTSB points out that the failure rate of the batteries may have been higher and that the possibility of a short circuit from a single cell can be the problem with the batteries. Deborah Hersman, head of NTSB, says that the regulators may need to reassess the certification of the battery used in the Dreamliner airplanes.

Source: BBC

Lawyer/Critic Assassination Leads to Dissolving of Tunisian Islamist Government

08. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Politics · Tags: , , , ,

Public fury against the killing of a lawyer criticizing the Tunisian government and its religious radicals blocking out the freedoms won during the Arab Spring uprisings had led to the government dissolving its Islamist government and proposed a “Snap” election to restore calm. Tunisia saw some of its biggest street protests that are similar and even greater than the uprisings led by its people that toppled Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.

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The killing of Chokri Belaid, a well-known opposition representative, had the crowds battle police in the streets of the capital, including Sidi Bouzid where the Jasmine Revoultion of January 2011 began. The crowd also set fire to the headquarters of officers of Ennahda, an Islamist political party that won the most seats in a legislative election 16 months ago. Crowds are calling for a massive strike on Thursday.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamid Jebali of Ennahda said on public television on Wednesday that the government is talking among various political parties to reshape the government and that he will be replacing his government wit technocrats until they can hold a proper election. According to the Prime Minister, talks between political parties for a cabinet reshuffle have failed, bringing him to make a decision to make a small technocrat government.

Citizens express their own disappointment against the Islamists who continue to supress the freedom of Tunisia. A 40-year old schoolteacher says that Tunisia will sink in blood if Islamists continue to stay in power. Citizens view that the Islamists are trying to root religious ideals into the constitution for their own and their religion’s benefit.

Source; Reuters

Asteroid Will Hit Earth’s “Hairline” on February 15

08. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Science · Tags: , , , , , ,

Scientists verify that the asteroid rumoured to hit earth by February 15 will pretty much miss the spot that other scientists pointed out in the past. The asteroid, as estimated by Don Yeomans and his team in the Near-Earth Object Program Office at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories, will not hit Earth, but will only pass close to its “hairline”. According to Yeomans, the probability of impact is “very, very low”.

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The asteroid rumoured to hit Earth by February 15, called the 2012 DA14, has become the subject of many Internet forums and doomsayers for the last few months. However, Yeomans says that Earth is in the clear and that “no impact is possible”. Scientists estimate that the 2012 DA14 is 45 meters wide and will come close to earth at around 17,100 from the planet’s surface.

If the asteroid was to hit the earth, it would collide with the energy of at least 2.4 megatons of TNT. However, the collision event is impossible in any circumstance. Scientists say that meteorites the size of grains and human fists always enter the atmosphere at any time of the year.

Yeomans says that there are around 9,672 Near Earth Objects or NEO’s as of February 5, 2013. These NEOs are comets or asteroids that are in orbit that could possibly collide or slide past Earth itself.

Source: CNN