The Doomed Costa Concordia – A Maritime Disa...

The Costa Concordia disaster, which has claimed at least 13 lives, has shocked the world. But maritime experts say such a catastrophe was just a matter of time. In recent years, the cruise industry has been building ever-bigger ships in pursuit of profit -- and disregarding the dangers the giant vessels pose. This article was written by Spiegel journalists whose names are provided at the end of the article.

On the Tuscan island of Giglio, the night sky is clear and the stars are out. Three men are sitting among the cacti and lemon trees near the cliffs behind the harbor. When the weather is nice, couples come here at sunset to make out. 

It's Thursday night of last week. Seven days have now passed since the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy.

The moon is shining as the men stare at the wreckage of the capsized cruise ship, not far from the harbor entrance. Two of the men are local Italians from the island, who have spent the last few days in a desperate struggle, and who have saved many lives in the process. They are comforting the third man, an Indian from Mumbai, who ...

Log Home Kits Can Be Very Useful In Your Construct...

When you get the need to construct your very own log home, you will have to find some floor planssomewhere. Where can you find Log home floor plans? One of the best ideas is to have a look on the internet. These days you'll find almost anything on the web. Even though you don't decide to buy your loghome plans on the internet, you can get some really great suggestions for exactly what you might want to build.

Perhaps it would be a great thing if you could get the floor plans and place your own team together to construct the log home yourself? Consider both you and your sons and possibly even your daughters working to construct a dream log home. You might need the help of some other friends, based on what kind of skills you have.

Now, ask yourself, "Why build your own Log Home?" You could just as easily have somebody else build it for you. However, if you did that, it would be just like any other house you can buy. If you construct it yourself, you possibly can make sure you will get the rooms just ...

Observing the 2012 Human Trafficking Awareness Day...

This week US citizens observed National Human Trafficking Awareness Day through acts of education, legislation, and enforcement; whilst, around the world, other people highlighted or tackled this global problem in their own countries.

According to an annual report on human trafficking released by the US State Department in June last year, 27 million men, women and children are exploited through human trafficking. Worldwide, at least two million children are estimated to be trafficked victims of the sex trade; and, in military conflicts, it is not uncommon for children to be forced to bear arms. In releasing the report last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing trafficking, and cultural issues associated with it.

Under the United Nations' Palermo Protocols, human trafficking encompasses cases where victims are born into slavery, forcibly transported for exploitation, consented to work with a trafficker, and/or were forced to participate in criminal activities. The Protocols also recognize the unique status and rights of children.

US-based action

Reports from across the United States show a number of communities taking local action to solve, or otherwise highlight, this global problem.

In Southern California, Sister Caritas Foster is an advocate for the area's victims of human trafficking. Commenting ...

2012: The Year of Nonviolence?

If 2011 was the year of the protester, 2012 may prove to be the year of nonviolence. What’s the difference? It’s as great as between yes and no. A crucial awakening that envelopes humanity’s collective struggle for justice, peace and democracy is happening; it is an awakening that clarifies the circumstances we embrace with a yes and those by which we respond with a vehement no. Like many I know, I often teeter between despair and hope–stuck in a kind of uncomfortable tension resembling Wendell Berry’s poetic instruction to “be joyful though you have considered all the facts” –grasping for some measure of sanity to make sense of all that is happening.

It is tempting to succumb to despair, what with the onslaught of major media coverage telling us all the bad news, dismissing the promising news, and ignoring the good news. Consider the challenges: the unraveling violence of the Egyptian revolution, the 5,000 killed in Syria, climate change and the instability and disasters brought by extreme weather patterns and an ill-equipped global populace with inadequate leadership, the threat of random violence and terrorist activity–Norway, Belgium, India, the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan, ...

U.S. Postal Service Making Cuts to First-Class Mai...

Facing bankruptcy, the U.S. Postal Service is pushing ahead with unprecedented cuts to first-class mail next spring that will slow delivery and, for the first time in 40 years, eliminate the chance for stamped letters to arrive the next day.

The estimated $3 billion in reductions, to be announced in broader detail on Monday, are part of a wide-ranging effort by the cash-strapped Postal Service to quickly trim costs, seeing no immediate help from Congress.

The changes would provide short-term relief, but ultimately could prove counterproductive, pushing more of America's business onto the Internet. They could slow everything from check payments to Netflix's DVDs-by-mail, add costs to mail-order prescription drugs, and threaten the existence of newspapers and time-sensitive magazines delivered by postal carrier to far-flung suburban and rural communities.

That birthday card mailed first-class to Mom also could arrive a day or two late, if people don't plan ahead.

"It's a potentially major change, but I don't think consumers are focused on it and it won't register until the service goes away," said Jim Corridore, analyst with S&P Capital IQ, who tracks the shipping industry. "Over time, to the extent the customer service ...

Understanding Property Auctions

Property auctions are one of the most popular places for prospective investors and developers to look for projects.  There are many alternatives, but auctions remain very popular despite the current difficulties in obtaining finance.

The auction hall is often looked upon as the first step on the path to running a property business.  However, auction day is really the very end of the first stage.

There are some terms that are used when describing auction lots that many potential bidders are not familiar with.  It is so important to understand what you are getting into; auctions can be unforgiving to the unprepared:

"The vendor is a Mortgagee not in possession".

Obviously the Vendor is the party who is selling the property at auction. The 'Mortgagee' is the bank or building society who originally provided the loan for the purchase of the property (the Lender).  This is the opposite of the 'Mortgagor' who is the person(s) buying the property (borrower). The term 'Not in Possession' means that the party selling the property do not actually own the legal interest (whether this is Freehold or Leasehold).  When a lender provides a loan (mortgage) for a person to buy a property, ...

Assad Regime Reacts with Fury to Arab League Suspe...

Syria has been suspended from the Arab League following the regime’s violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. The move comes after months of bloodshed in Syria, with President Bashar al-Assad ordering in troops to halt protests.

Majority vote. The BBC reported that, of the eighteen countries of the Arab League, only Syria, Lebanon and Yemen voted against the membership freeze, with Iraq abstaining. BBC correspondent Jon Leyne said that the suspension was “a huge blow to Syria’s pride, and could also be a real practical blow to its leaders”.

Importance of Qatar. The LA Times explored the role played by Qatar, currently chairing the Arab League, in recent events: “Qatar is capitalizing on, and Assad is in danger of succumbing to, the most transformative moment in the region since the doomed specter of pan-Arabism of the 1960s.” According to the paper, Qatar is even more influential than Saudi Arabia, despite being a relatively tiny country: “The emirate is adroit at playing all sides: It is home to a U.S. military base, yet it keeps close to the passions of the Arab street through Al Jazeera and maintains cordial relations with Iran.”

Growing pressure on Syrian regime. What’s more, Justyna Pawlak and David ...

Treatment of US Service Members’ Remains Ups...

The ashes of cremated body parts from some of the nation's war dead were dumped in landfills until 2008, unbeknownst to their survivors, an Air Force general acknowledged Wednesday.

The practice was stopped, and remains from cremated body parts now are disposed of at sea, Air Force Chief of Public Affairs Brig. Gen. Les Kodlick said.

The landfill disposal of the ashes was first reported in The Washington Post.

Kodlick issued a statement describing instances prior to 2008 when families had authorized portions of remains to be disposed of. Another Air Force official, speaking on background, emphasized that these situations did not involve bodies but "parts of bone and other DNA material."

Military escorts accompanied the remains to a crematorium near Dover Air Force Base Mortuary, which processes remains of service members killed overseas, the statement said.

After cremation, the ashes were escorted back to Dover, Kodlick said, and then turned over to a contractor "for further incineration and disposition in accordance with medical disposition."

"The common practice was that any residual matter remaining after incineration was disposed of by the contractor in a landfill," Kodlick said.

"We could have done it better," he said.

The Air Force ...

Corporate Governance: Russia Vs. the World

Corporate governance is a subject still grabbing the headlines, especially as the global economy continues to struggle in the wake of the financial crisis. In understanding corporate governance, it is important to keep in mind that the term itself has different meanings in different parts of the world.

During our early work in the Middle East, for instance, we found that there was no agreed-upon term for the concept of corporate governance in Arabic. This certainly complicated reforms, because unless people spoke English, they’d spend more time arguing about the proper meaning in Arabic rather than specific changes in how companies operate.

Simply put – how can you effect change if you are not sure what is it exactly you are trying to change? Luckily, the Middle East issue was eventually resolved, and a common term with a same meaning eventually took root.

In Russia, similarly, the concept of corporate governance is not exactly the same as we’ve come to know it in Western companies – where its focused on broad governance, risk management, and strategic planning. In fact, the Russian translation for governance is closer to “control” and “management” and experts often point ...

Overdoses from Prescription Painkillers Triple in ...

Lethal overdoses from prescription painkillers have tripled in the past decade and now account for more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, US health authorities said Tuesday.

The quantity of painkillers on the market is so high that it would be enough to medicate every American with a standard dose of Vicodin every four hours for one full month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The unfortunate and in fact shocking news is that we are in the midst of an epidemic of prescription drug overdose in this country. It is an epidemic but it can be stopped," said CDC chief Thomas Frieden.

"In fact, now the burden of dangerous drugs is being created more by a few irresponsible doctors than by drug pushers on street corners."

The CDC Vital Signs report focused on opioid pain relievers, including oxycodone, methadone and hydrocodone, better known as Vicodin, which have quadrupled in sales to pharmacies, hospitals and doctors' offices since 1999.

Last year, 12 million Americans reported taking prescription painkillers for recreational uses, not because of a medical condition.

The number of deaths from overdoses of opioid pain relievers has more than tripled from 4,000 ...