Month: October 2008
Delhi Private School to Distribute Books, Uniforms in Jute Bags from March
Delhi Private School to Distribute Books, Uniforms in Jute Bags from March
Preeti Kannan for KHALEEJ TIMES
DUBAI – In an attempt to make the school premises a ‘no plastics zone’ by next year, Delhi Private School (DPS), Dubai plans to distribute books and uniforms in jute bags to its students.
Students will pick up their text books and uniforms in March, in colourful jute bags.
School authorities say the move is expected to stop the use of at least 5,000 plastic bags, which is now being used to hand out the school kit. “We intend to make the school a ‘no plastic zone’.
“We have been creating an awareness among the students on the need to stop using plastics,” Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal of DPS, Dubai said.
“The bags can be re-used by the students to bring their books and also may be for shopping.”
The school will bear the cost of making the bags.
The initiative will cover over 5,000 children and parents. “Awareness of the environment needs to start at the grassroot level,” added Nandkeolyar.
The school is also planning to distribute its annual Year Book in newspaper jackets, collected year-round by students.
The students say they can help make a change in the environment by advocating the use of jute bags and hope the other schools would follow the pattern.
“We can make a lot of difference and ensure that our parents use them more frequently,” Shresht Prakash, a Grade VIII student from DPS, Dubai said.
“We have made T-shirts, created banners and put up skits on the need to protect the environment. My parents make sure that we use only paper bags back home.”
“All schools should try and phase out plastics as a first step,” Nikita Arora, a Grade XII of DPS, Dubai said.
Speed Over 60pc Mark and Your Vehicle Will be Impounded
Amira Agarib for KHALEEJ TIMES 21 October 2008
DUBAI – The Dubai Police will impound on the spot vehicles of motorists driving at 60 per cent more than the fixed speed limits, Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Zafin, Director of the General Department of Traffic, said on Monday.
The decision is part of a two-week campaign launched by the police on Shaikh Zayed Road on Monday.
The campaign will be extended to other roads in Dubai to catch and fine motorists who speed, he added.
Al Zafin said the two-week campaign was launched against reckless motorists who speed, not leave safe distances between vehicles and overtake other vehicles dangerously, which are the major causes of accidents and deaths.
Traffic patrols would first be deployed between Dubai World Trade Centre roundabout and Mall of the Emirates on Shaikh Zayed Road, and later on other highways.
He said cops will stop the driver, ask for his driving licence and car registration papers and issue him a ticket and if he/she is found speeding by 60 per cent or more of the specified limit, the vehicle will be impounded on the spot.
Al Zafin said he himself had to face a speeding driver recently on Shaikh Zayed Road. The driver followed him without leaving enough space between the cars and kept honking. “I moved to the next lane and the driver of the other car pointed angrily with both hands as if I am the one who is at fault. The motorist did the same with other drivers, so I called the police patrol to catch the man before any accident occurred.
“The police impounded the car of the elderly man who was accompanied by a woman who said he was in a hurry. As many as 19,260 fine tickets were issued for not leaving enough space between vehicles during the last nine months, while 17,625 tickets were issued for reckless driving and 714 tickets for risky driving. Al Zafin said UAE nationals aged between 18 and 28 commit most of the major traffic offences. As many as 211 people died in the first nine months of the current year.
Dubai Litterbugs Face the ‘VPD’Joy Sengupta
Dubai Litterbugs Face the ‘VPD’Joy Sengupta
Joy Sengupta for KHALEEJ TIMES 21 October 2008
dubai – A new ‘Voice Portal Device’ (VPD) would enable Dubai Municipality inspectors to record fines against people who are caught spitting on the roads or littering.
The device was launched on Monday at the municipality’s stall at the ongoing Gitex Dubai 2008.
According to Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director-General of Dubai Municipality, by using the device municipality inspectors would be able to issue fines on the spot by simply dialling a dedicated telephone number and reporting the offence.
The system would recognise the voice, dialect and accent in both English and Arabic of the inspectors.
“The device will be handed over to all the inspectors soon. It would be used to record fines of all kinds in the near future,” said Lootah.
“There’s no need to use the telephone’s keypad to report offences. Nor do the inspectors need to note down the details of the offender.
“Officers are required to simply speak. The rest is handled automatically by the system. The solution uses voice biometrics to verify a Dubai Municipality officer’s identity and authenticates it to issue fines and instantly report violations across the city,” Lootah said.
Municipality officials explained that once a violator is caught, the inspector would take his name and mobile number and speak into the gadget, mentioning the person’s name, his mobile number and the nature of violation.
“Once this is done, an SMS is sent to the offender informing him of the fine,” they said.
They stated that the municipality was planning to intensify steps against litterbugs.
“In an effort to make social responsibility towards cleanliness more concrete, the Waste Management Department will give the law-enforcement powers to both the municipality officials as well as those from outside,” Lootah added.
HSE Poster – Wear Seat Belts
HSE Poster – Wear Seat Belts
Dear Friends,
Continuing my efforts to promote the importance of HSE values, I submit a poster created to highlight the usage of Seat Belts. Many times, we forget to request and force our children or fellow passengers sitting at the back to wear the seat belts. The days of slow traffic are gone and now life is at break-neck speed as do accidents break your neck and spine in case of a collision. Although all of us are aware of the use and importance, kindly and without inhibition, use this poster to remind it’s significance as a safety equipment in your car.
All the best and have a great day ahead.
Ramesh Menon
21102008
ഗ്രാഫിക് ഡിസൈനിനൊരു ബ്ലോഗ്
ഗ്രാഫിക് ഡിസൈന് ബേസിക്സ്, ഗ്രാഫിക്സ് സോഫ്റ്റ്വെയര് പാഠങ്ങള്, ടിപ്സ്-ട്രിക്സ്… അങ്ങനെ ഗ്രാഫിക്സ് സംബന്ധമായി നിരവധി കാര്യങ്ങള് പ്രതിപാദിക്കുന്ന ഈ ബ്ലോഗ് ധാരാളം പേര്ക്ക് പ്രയോജനപ്പെട്ടാക്കാം. താത്പര്യമുള്ളവര് സന്ദര്ശിക്കണമെന്ന് അഭ്യര്ത്ഥിക്കുന്നു. http://www.tmziyad.com
Honey can help heal burns faster
Honey can help heal burns faster
ANI First Published : 11 Oct 2008 WASHINGTON:
Honey can help heal burn wounds more quickly than some standard dressing treatments, a new study has found.
The systematic review by Cochrane Researchers concluded that honey can help speed up healing in some burns.
“We’re treating these results with caution, but it looks like honey can help speed up healing in some burns,” says lead researcher Dr Andrew Jull, of the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Honey has been used in wound treatment since ancient times. The mechanism of action is unclear. While honey may help the body remove dead tissue and provide a favorable environment for the growth of new, healthy tissue, current interest in medicinal honey focuses largely on its antibacterial effects.
The review brings together data from 19 clinical trials involving 2554 patients with a range of different wounds. Honey was more effective in reducing healing time compared to some gauze and film dressings that are often used to treat moderate burns.
However, the researchers were unable to show any clear benefits for the healing of grazes, lacerations, surgical wounds and leg ulcers.
The researchers don’t advise using honey to treat other types of wounds.
“Health services should invest in treatments that have been shown to work,” says Dr Jull.
“But, we will keep monitoring new research to try and establish the effect of honey,” the expert added.
Laurels for nightingale
Laurels for nightingale
T S Preetha for Expressbuzz First Published : 18 Oct 2008
Who is the UK’s best nurse in 2008? Who got the certificate of recognition for having completed the personal development programme? And who is part of the best perioperative team? The UK now knows the answer.
Keralite Minija Joseph is the first nurse (perioperative practitioner is their term) in England to win the three awards in the same year.
Minija is working as the in-charge of the cardiac and thoracic theatres in King’s College Hospital, the first Malayali and the youngest to occupy the post. And it is one year after assuming this position that the awards, instituted by the Association for Perioperative Practitioners, came in search of her.
“Someone from the hospital has to recommend your name for the award. And the jury considers your work and credentials. It is a great honour,” says Minija who started her career at Holy Cross Hospital, Kottiyam. She took up training in cardiac surgery in Madras Medical Mission and later joined Fr Muller’s College of Nursing for her degree.
“I was interested in cardiology because I wanted to be involved in all aspects of the speciality.
There were so many things I could do in cardiac care.” After securing the first rank in BSc Nursing Minija came to Medical Trust Hospital in 1997 and worked along with Dr Jose Chacko Periappuram and it further fired her interest in this speciality.
After one year she went to Bangladesh as part of the team which set up cardiac units there for the first time. It was the work there that gave Minija an exposure to the world outside.
Soon she took a flight to the UK and joined the King’s College Hospital which is considered the best in the whole of Europe.
Unlike the majority of Malayali nurses who are content with a high-paying job, Minija did not remain stuck with her first job. When an offer of a senior position came from Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, she took it and it was a major move for her career.
“The hospital was doing all major cardiac surgeries, including transplantation. And I learned a lot,” says Minija who often flew to Germany, France or Ireland to collect hearts for transplantation. And in June last year she came back to King’s as the head of the cardiac nursing unit of 11 professionals.
“The work atmosphere is very different there. Nurses are more powerful. Here they are demoralised and doctors often treat them as low-level workers. In our hospital I am authorised to tell a doctor that he cannot do a surgery on a particular day. Can you imagine such a scene here?’ Though the UK has a shortage of nurses the country has stopped recruiting nurses from other countries. Kerala nurses have an advantage over others as they are very hard working and committed, says Minija.
“But they need to express themselves well and be more ambitious. And committed too,” she says. Minija is married to Augustine Antony and the couple has a son, Amal, studying in Ooty.
Kerala to create 25,000 IT jobs in next 2 years
Kerala to create 25,000 IT jobs in next 2 years
Dubai, Oct 20 : Kerala will generate upto 25,000 jobs in IT and related sectors in the next two years as it seeks to make the state a preferred destination for the industry, a top official said.
Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Information Technology, Kerala government, who is here heading a high level delegation to participate in Gitex 2008, the region’s premier IT show, told UNI that the Kerala government would like see the current global financial downturn as an opportunity to create viable IT infrastructure with a future perspective. He said that though the perception is that the state is plagued by labour disputes, the IT sector’s growth was many times more than that of the national average.
Apart from IT companies, Dr Kumar said, ”we are also inviting real estate firms to build and operate facilities for IT industry in Kerala.” The state is setting up ten IT parks with an investment of about five billion dollars in the next ten years, he said. The GITEX Technology Week is being held from October 19, 2008 to Oct 23, 2008.
The Secretary said the new IT parks will be standalone townships with restaurants, housing and all social networking facilities like bars so that the software employees will have the right ambience to work. The recent NASSCOM survey on leading IT/ITES destinations covering a range of parameters including land costs, power and communication infrastructure ranked Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram as a top notch ITES destinations with potential of challenging metros like Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Kerala LL.M Entrance on Nov 16
Kerala LL.M Entrance on Nov 16
Sept 30 : Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, Kerala has invited applications for the Entrance Examination for admission to LL.M Course, 2008-09 in the Government Law Colleges at Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode. The Entrance Examination will be conducted at Thiruvananthapuram, on 16.11.2008 .
The Questions of the Entrance Examination will be of objective type. There shall be two papers, each of 90 minutes duration. Paper I will be from 9.30 am to 11 am and Paper II from 11.30 am to 1 pm. The questions will be of the standard of LL.B Examination. The syllabus of each paper is given in the Prospectus available at http://www.cee-kerala.org
Applicant should be an Indian citizen of Kerala origin and should have passed the L.L.B. examination (5 year / 3 year course) of any of the Universities in Kerala or from other Universities recognized by the Universities in Kerala as equivalent thereto. Those appearing / appeared for the regular Final year LL.B. examination of 2008 can also apply for the Entrance Examination. Such candidates become eligible for admission only if they produce the Provisional Degree / Degree Certificate of the qualifying examination and the mark lists of all parts of the qualifying examination at the time of allotment of seats. There is no upper age limit for admission to the Course.
Application form and Prospectus can be downloaded from http://www.cee-kerala.org
Completed applications with all the documents and a Demand Draft for Rs.800/- for all category candidates, drawn on a Nationalized Bank, in favour of Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, payable at Thiruvananthapuram, should reach ‘The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, Housing Board Buildings, 5th Floor, Santhinagar, Thiruvananthapuram – 695 001’ either by Registered post or by hand before 5.00 pm on 31.10.08.
The Allotment of seats to the course will be announced after the publication of the results of the Entrance examination. Individual memos will not be sent to candidates in this regard. All certificates in support of various claims preferred in the application form will have to be submitted at the time of Allotment. The Entrance Examination and subsequent allotments will be based on the various provisions laid down in the prospectus, approved by Government.
Admissions at NIMHANS
Admissions at NIMHANS
Oct 12 : The National Institute of Mental Health And Neuro Sciences, a Deemed University, has invited applications for Admission to the following courses for the Academic Year 2009 – 2010.
Ph.D (with Institute Fellowship) in (i) Mental Health & Social Psychology (ii) Neurophysiology (iii) Speech Pathology & Audiology
Ph.D (with External Fellowship): Candidates with Sponsorship from Government of India/State Govt. Institutions, Deputed or Sponsored from a recognized University, Fellowships from Government Agencies like UGC/ICMR/CSIR etc., and Permanent Employees and tenured employees of NIMHANS can also apply for Ph.D. in the various departments of this Institute which will be considered at the discretion of the competent authority for Entrance Test to be held during the month of February.
(i) Biophysics (ii) Biostatistics (iii) Mental Health & Social Psychology (iv) Epidemiology (v) Mental Health Education (vi) Human Genetics (vii) Neuroanaesthesia (viii) Neurochemistry (ix) Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology (x) Neurology (xi) Neuromicrobiology (xii) Neurophysiology (xiii) Neurosurgery (xiv) Neurovirology (xv) Nursing (xvi) Psychiatric Social Work (xvii) Psychiatry (xiii) Psychopharmacology (xix) Speech Pathology & Audiology.
POST GRADUATE DEGREE/DIPLOMA COURSES
(i) MD Degree in Psychiatry (ii) Diploma in Psychiatry
(iii) M.Phil. in Mental Health & Social Psychology (iv) M.Phil. in Psychiatric Social Work
(v) M.Phil. in Neurophysiology (vi) M.Phil. in Biophysics
(vii) M.Phil. in Neurosciences (viii) M.Sc. in Psychiatric Nursing
DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE COURSES
(i) Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing (DPN) (ii) Diploma in Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing
Details of qualifications, reservations etc are available in detail in the Prospectus
Application forms and Prospectus can be downloaded from http://www.nimhans.kar.nic.in and can also be obtained from the Director, NIMHANS, Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560 029 on request by mentioning the course and enclosing a Demand Draft towards application fee drawn in favour of the Director, NIMHANS, Bangalore – 560 029 along with a self addressed envelope (25 cm X 18 cm) with stamps worth Rs.20/- affixed.
The last date for issue of application through post will be 25th October 2008 and in person, it will be 31st October 2008
Application fee for Medical Courses will be Rs.1000/- per course (Rs.750/- in case of SC/ST candidates) and for Non-Medical Courses, it will be Rs.700/- per course (Rs.500/- in case of SC/ST candidates).
Candidates may apply for more than one course provided they are eligible. Candidates can apply in the same application form for MD and Diploma in Psychiatry courses. Candidates applying for Non Medical courses should apply on separate application for each course. In case of Candidates applying for both Medical and Non Medical courses, (provided they are eligible) they should apply in separate application forms.
Sponsored candidates should submit their application through proper channel and they should also appear for the Common Entrance Test. The candidates should produce the sponsorship certificate in the prescribed format. For MD & DPM Courses the age should not be more than 32 years (relaxable in case of SC/ST candidates by a maximum of 5 years as on 2.5.2009). For sponsored candidates age should not be more than 40 years as on 2.5.2009.
Duly filled in application should reach The Director, NIMHANS, Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560 029 along with the requisite Demand Draft drawn in favour of Director, NIMHANS by super scribing the name of the course applied for on the envelope, latest by 5th November, 2008. Applications downloaded from the website should be accompanied by a Demand Draft towards Application fee.
Entrance Test will be held at Bangalore on 22nd February 2009.
For details, visit http://www.nimhans.kar.nic.in
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