Friday, June 24, 2005

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was sworn in as deputy president of South Africa Thursday becoming the first woman ever to hold that position. Other Cabinet members applauded as she was sworn in to office in Cape Town. Her appointment comes after former deputy president Jacob Zuma was sacked after being accused of corruption relating to a bribery scandal.

She stated that she will perform much the same function as Zuma, namely “looking after the second economy”, HIV/AIDS issue, and other assignments President Thabo Mbeki give her. “I will be looking after women and youth,” she also said.

Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former school teacher, travelled to Geneva, Switzerland to work with the YWCA. She returned to South Africa in 1987 and assumed a leading role in the Ecumenical Action Group and other anti-apartheid groups. She was later elected to parliament and appointed deputy trade and industry minister.

In 2003 she publicly accused Jacob Zuma of corruption, though the case was never formalized due to insufficient evidence. Her husband, former national director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka, investigated Zuma and concluded that prima facie evidence of corruption existed.

Individuals opposed to her appointment accuse her of involvement in the transfer of large sums of taxpayers’ money to the African National Congress‘ election fund through an oil company. Her brother, who asserts that the transaction was completely above board, has been implicated in South African news reports.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

The legality of speeding and parking fines in New South Wales, Australia is set to be tested in court this week. A lawyer from Sydney will challenge the authority of the state’s infringement processing bureau to issue fines for speeding and parking offences.

The lawyer claims that when the NSW government moved control of the bureau from the NSW Police to the Office of State Revenue in October 2001, the government failed to make correct legislative changes. He claims that all fines issued since the move are invalid.

The basis of the case revolve around whether or not the infringement processing bureau has powers to issue penalty notices (fines) under NSW law.

The bureau said that the case would only be relevant to fines which are disputed by a person in court. The bureau said that only five per cent of fines are challenged.

“People who did not elect to go to court and have paid their infringement notice will not be affected by any decision, so the issue of refunds does not arise,” a statement by the Office of State Revenue said.

For the 2004/2005 financial year, the infringement processing bureau recorded revenues of AUD$158.7 million from fines.

NSW Opposition leader Peter Debnam said the government has once again failed to write legislation correctly. “The bottom line with this thing is that the Government simply hasn’t done its homework. We see this time and time again, legislation going through parliament, and it ends up costing tax payers a fortune,” he said.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Lawyers for students who sued to stop the use of the California High School Exit Exam today filed a request for an expedited hearing of their case in appellate court, hoping to have the test set aside in time for graduation.

“It would be tragic if students were deprived of the once in a lifetime opportunity to graduate with their classmates due to scheduling issues in this matter,” according to the text of the appeal filed in Division Four of the First Appellate District.

Today’s filing fulfills a promise made by lead attorney Arturo Gonzalez yesterday after the State Supreme Court issued a stay of an Alameda County Superior Court judge’s order that the test not be used to determine graduation. “Our clients are disappointed in today’s 4-3 split decision of the California Supreme Court. However, this fight is not over,” Gonzalez said, “We intend to seek immediate relief in the court of appeals in San Francisco. We are hopeful that oral argument can be scheduled in time to obtain an order that would allow the Class of 2006 to graduate.”

On May 12, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman decided that the test was unfair and unconstitutional and issued an injunction against the use of the test. The following week, attorneys for State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell, author and avid supporter of the law requiring the test, appealed Freedman’s decision directly to the State Supreme Court, asking the court to stay the effect of the injunction immediately and to over rule it. Yesterday, the court issued the stay, but send the state’s appeal down to the appellate court.

“Yesterday, the Supreme Court noted that it was “not persuaded” that the injunction was the appropriate remedy,” according to the papers filed in court today. “It stayed the injunction and remanded the case to this Court with instructions to “establish a schedule for expedited briefing and argument.”

“Plaintiffs respectfully submit that, if the schedule established by this Court does not allow for a decision on the remedy issued by the trial court before the bulk of high school graduations have taken place, then that schedule cannot be considered to be expedited,” according to the filing, “There is only one issue that needs to be decided by this Court prior to the pending high school graduations — whether, assuming Plaintiffs prevail on their constitutional claims, the injunction granted by the trial court was an appropriate remedy.”

In the filing, lawyers for Liliana Valenzuela, et al., who sued in February to have the test set aside so she and the other students involved in the case could graduate, remind the appellate court that the State Supreme Court needed only a few days to reach its decision.

“With the majority of graduations occurring in early June, Plaintiffs respectfully submit that it is a reasonable interpretation of the Supreme Court’s Order to set a hearing for this matter next week,” lawyers wrote in the filing.Cynthia O’Brien, who oversees testing at James Logan High School in Union City, expressed some exasperation over the on-again, off-again situation regarding the test. “What is happening at this time with the emotional lives of students who are in limbo is not reasonable or in their best interest” she said. “Although the exam’s intention is to create a better education environment for students (my words), it is now more about politics than the students.”

However, she’s not opposed to the test itself. “I believe that the intent of minimum proficiencies is in the right direction. We do a disservice to students who are not prepared to compete in their adult world,” she told the James Logan Courier, “I do believe that the State needs to study real alternate paths that could be pursued, such as using proficiency on STAR, a senior project demonstrating both math and English proficiency or some other pathway.”

This article is based on Appeals Court Asked for Quick Decision in Exit Exam Case by Patrick Hannigan of The James Logan Courier, which has a copyright policy compatible with our CC-BY 2.5. Specifically “Creative Commons 2.5 Share-Alike license“

Friday, July 15, 2011

On Tuesday, the Euro fell to a new record low in relation to the Swiss Franc, and to multi-month lows against the U.S. Dollar and Japanese yen; all considered by investors to be safe currencies during times of economic turmoil.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that recent comments from the newly installed head of the International Monetary Fund, France’s Christine Lagarde, resulted in a sell-off of the Euro. At a roundtable discussion in Washington, Lagarde noted that the IMF had not yet reached discussion of terms and conditions of a second Greek bailout plan. In fact, a representative from the IMF is currently meeting with Eurozone policymakers to draft such a new proposal. The yield differential between Italian bonds and German bonds has spread to more than 300 basis points, something not seen in over a decade and evidence of investors’ concern.

Adding to the Euro’s woes is the upcoming release of the bank stress tests on Friday. The European Bankers Association said that they expect the data release to shed new light on the Eurozone’s banking situation. Representatives of several of the Eurozone’s governments, including Germany, have requested that the association consider releasing fewer specific details for fear that investor panic will ensue. The inadequacy of the capitalization rates has been an issue with the European Central Bank, whose president recently called upon Eurozone banks to make every effort to put their balance sheets in order.

For the time being at least, an unsubstantiated rumor reported by the Wall Street Journal states that the Eurozone’s central banks’ purchase of periphery debt has helped to quell the downward momentum of the Euro.

Friday, April 4, 2008

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported today a “significant explosive event” had occurred at Mount Redoubt in Alaska. Lightning was observed within an ash cloud that formed over the volcano. As a result the AVO raised the alert level to ‘warning’ and level ‘red’ for aviation. The event occurred at 6:00 a.m. (AKDT).

According to the Observatory, seismic activity caused a major lahar, similar to a mudslide or landslide, to occur in the Drift River Valley. Inhabitants of the Valley were advised to seek high ground and take immediate precautions against flooding. So far there are no reports of injuries or evacuations. Wikinews has e-mailed the AVO for a statement regarding the event, but has yet to receive a reply.

“Strong, but diminishing seismic activity is continuing as of 07:35 AKDT,” said the AVO on its website. At 9:18 a.m., the AVO reported that the event had ended. “Continuing seismic activity and web camera images indicate that low level emissions of steam, gas, and some volcanic ash are continuing to be emitted at the volcano at altitudes of [20,000 feet].” The AVO is sending a team to investigate the latest eruption which will include a fly-over to take readings on the gases being emitted.

The explosion sent volcanic ash which spread to “Homer, Anchor Point, and Seldovia” to an altitude of over 50,000 feet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an advisory stating that ash fall can be expected from “Ninilchik Southward through mid morning.” The advisory is scheduled to end at 10:00 a.m. (AKDT).

As a result of recent eruptions at Redoubt, half of the 6 million gallons of crude oil stored in the Drift Valley will be removed to a safer location. There is no word on when the move will take place. The storage facility is located just 22 miles from Redoubt.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Stock indexes worldwide rose on Friday, after US bank chief Ben Bernanke said that the US economy was starting to recover from the recession.

Addressing a conference in Wyoming, the bank chief said that “the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appear good.”

He added, however, that “the economic recovery is likely to be relatively slow at first, with unemployment declining only gradually from high levels.”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 155.91 points, or 1.67%, to end the day at 9505.96. The Nasdaq reached 2020.90 points after gaining 1.59%. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, meanwhile, struck a ten-month high, reaching a level of 1,026.13 at the closing bell, up 1.9%.

The British FTSE index rose about two percent, closing at 4,851. The French Cac index gained 3.1% and the German Dax 2.8%.

“Bernanke was a little bit more bullish than most people were expecting. He’s saying that the global economy is starting to emerge from the recession and that the fears of a financial collapse have receded substantially,” said Jacob Oubina, the currency strategist of Forex.com.

“I think the market is just taking those headlines as extreme positives for the outlook.”

Jean-Claude Trichet, the European Central Bank president, warned that talk of a complete recovery might be premature. “I am a little bit uneasy when I see that, because we have some green shoots here and there, we are already saying, ‘well, after all, we are close to back to normal,’ ” he said.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Viktor Schreckengost, the father of industrial design and creator of the Jazz Bowl, an iconic piece of Jazz Age art designed for Eleanor Roosevelt during his association with Cowan Pottery died yesterday. He was 101.

Schreckengost was born on June 26, 1906 in Sebring, Ohio, United States.

Schreckengost’s peers included the far more famous designers Raymond Loewy and Norman Bel Geddes.

In 2000, the Cleveland Museum of Art curated the first ever retrospective of Schreckengost’s work. Stunning in scope, the exhibition included sculpture, pottery, dinnerware, drawings, and paintings.