Australia hit by worst-ever heat wave

Melbourne: Wildfires destroyed more than 20 homes while hundreds of thousands of others lost power as a record-breaking heat wave that began claiming lives maintained its oppressive grip on southern Australia on Saturday. About six people died from heat stress in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, over three days before the temperature mellowed to 31 degrees Celsius on Saturday, Victoria state Police deputy commissioner Kieran Walshe said.
    Melbourne on Friday recorded its third consecutive day of temperatures above 109 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time since record-keeping began in 1855.
    South Australia state authorities said on Saturday that the heat had probably caused some of the recent 22 sudden deaths there. It was not yet clear how many, state Health Minister John Hill said.
    Heavy air conditioner use caused a breakdown in Melbourne's electricity grid on Friday, blacking out 500,000 homes and businesses while pulling the plug on the city's electric train network. "These events are unprecedented," Victoria state energy and resources minister Peter Batchelor said. AP

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Let it Snow: Winter Driving Tips

So, you're driving along a lonely stretch of back road, the sun goes down, the temperature drops and all of sudden — boom! — your car is skidding off the road and into a ditch. Black ice.

This time of year, as the temperature starts to drop, the accident rate starts to rise precipitously, even on the usually mild West Coast. A few reasons contribute to this factor:

• Old or non-snow tires on your vehicle
• Lack of an outside temperature gauge
• Not being in a winter driving frame of mind

Inside this article, you'll find winter driving tips from experts and the top cars for winter driving.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Recent advancements in winter tire technology, like tread design and rubber compounds, go a long way in adding grip and drivability in wet and cold weather conditions. Buying a separate set of winter rims and tires actually ends up being less expensive in the long run.

"Changing, mounting and balancing tires every six months ends up costing a lot more over three to five years than having a separate winter driving set," says Michelin's winter tire expert, Normand Latremouille.

An all-wheel drive vehicle can help you in inclement weather, too. Mercedes-Benz's Steve Erlichman says, "With four-wheel drive, it comes down to adhesion. The more power you have to all four-wheels and double the grip, the safer and better handling you have in both wet and dry conditions."

Erlichman adds, "A smoothness to your driving in bad weather also helps. Go as smooth on the throttle and brakes as possible. Also, don't make any quick movements that will cause you to break traction. You can't defy the laws of physics and when you lose too much grip, sometimes there is nothing that will help."

Good advice.

Winter Driving Tips From the Experts

Yahoo! Autos spoke with famed rally racing instructor, Tim O'Neil, of the Team O'Neil Rally School for some everyday winter driving tips. O'Neil teaches a 1-day Winter Safety School in Dalton, New Hampshire.

Tim has four tips to keep you safer this winter:

1. Always monitor the conditions of the road, their surroundings and adjust your speed accordingly. Remember, it's not an accident; it's someone who made a bad decision and drove too fast for the terrain they were on and for the grip of their tires.
2. Monitor the temperature. Adding a temperature gauge is one of the most important things you can add to your car. It will tell you when the road is either about to freeze or has frozen over.
3. Listen to your tires. On a wet road the tires make a sizzle sound. If they are quiet; that's black ice. You have three chances to know the black ice is coming: dropping temperature, windshield fogging and the lack of tire noise. Now you're on black ice. Drive safer.
4. Keep your foot on the gas. When the car starts to slide out of control, people tend to over steer and let off the gas. Lifting off the gas is bad. If you stay on the gas when you start to slide, it will pull you out of the slide. Also, people tend to get 'target fixation'. It helps to look down the road and pick where you want to go. Don't look anywhere else. If you start to skid, look where you want to go, not what you think you'll hit. If you look at that tree, you're going to hit it.

More information at:

Team O'Neil Rally School http://www.teamoneil.com

Never Answer A Cell while Charging

A few days ago, a person was recharging his cell phone at home.

Just at that time a call Came in and he answered it with the
Instrument still connected to the outlet..


After a few seconds electricity flowed into the cell phone unrestrained and the young man was thrown to the ground with a heavy thud.

His parents rushed to the room only to find him unconscious, with a weak heartbeat and burnt fingers.


He was rushed to the nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Cell phones are a very useful modern invention.
 

  
  However, we must be aware that it can also be an instrument of death.

Never use the cell phone while it is hooked to the electrical outlet!
 

FORWARD THIS TO THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER IN YOUR LIFE!!!!

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY. READ AND HEED.

PLEASE INFORM EVERYONE

Emails with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden hanged are being sent and the moment that you open these emails your computer will crash and you will not be able to fix it!

If you get an email along the lines of 'Osama Bin Laden Captured' or 'Osama Hanged', don't open the attachment.

This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe, but mainly in the US and Israel

Be considerate & send this warning to whomever you know.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS:


You should be alert during the next days:  
Do not open any message with an attached file called 'Invitation' regardless of who sent it.

It is a virus that  opens an Olympic Torch which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer.



This  virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list,  that is why you should send this e-mail to all your contacts.  


It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it  
If you receive a mail called 'invitation', though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut down your computer immediately.



This is  the worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.


This virus was  discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.

This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.

SEND THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

Tokyo uses e-paper as disaster prevention measure

by Serkan Toto on January 27, 2009

While the rest of the world is waiting for the breakthrough of e-paper as part of everyday life, Japan seems to be a step further. Tokyo-based Toppan Printing has developed electronic papers that can be used as flexible information displays in the case of major disasters such as earth quakes.

Toppan began a limited field test in Tokyo last week. Displays in two different locations (a post office and a bus stop) showed various information on how to behave when a major disaster occurs.

Toppan used displays sized 1 x 3.2m with 240 x 768 pixels (pictured above) and 60 x 40cm with 144 x 96 pixels for the test. Power consumption stood at 24W and 9W, respectively.

No more turning away patients in an emergency

State government to introduce new law to ensure no private hospital refuses admission in case of accidents, natural calamities or terror attacks

SANTOSH ANDHALE

 The state government plans to introduce a new law on emergency medical services, that will make it mandatory for all private hospitals to treat patients in case of accidents, natural calamities and terror attacks.
    Government agencies, particularly the police, often complain that private hospitals do not admit patients during emergencies to avoid legal issues. This often results in victims being moved to government hospitals, though they are illequipped and short staffed. At times, hospitals also refuse patients as the disbursal of funds from the government is rather slow.
    "We discussed the new law called Emergency Medical Services Act, which will make it mandatory for private hospitals to admit victims of natural calamities, terror attacks and disasters. A bill for the law will be introduced in the next session of the legislature," Bhushan Gagrani, secretary for medical education, told Mumbai Mirror.
    The new bill will make provisions for punishment and penalties for hospitals that do not abide by the directives on treatment of patients, he said.
    Gagrani said that other issues like having well maintained and equipped ambulances available round the clock, were also were discussed.
    The government also wants hospitals to appoint paramedics who will be trained to treat a patient before he reaches hospital. "After
HSC, we plan to introduce a two to three-year certificate course for paramedics. We will meet hospital authorities again next week to discuss these issues," said Dr Sanjay Oak, director of medical education, BMC and dean of KEM Hospital.
    "The concept of having emergency medical services is basically to save a patient's life. In an emergency, a patient should get treatment at the site, and during transportation to the nearest hospital his condition should be stabilised as far as possible. Most private hospitals have agreed be part of this project, which is very necessary in a city like Mumbai," said Dr Gustad Davar, surgeon and medical director, Hinduja Hospital.

Firemen help an injured man to safety. Govt agencies often complain private hospitals do not admit patients during emergencies to avoid legal issues

Residents seek tips to deal with disaster

BRACING FOR CRISES

Sukhada Tatke I TNN

Mumbai: Close on the heels of the Malabar Hill Residents' Association training members in disaster preparedness, residents of Nariman Point and Churchgate too decided to do the same in their area. After setting up a committee, Nariman Point and Churchgate Citizens' Association (NPCCA) drew up a disaster management plan through which it has decided to hold regular programmes to train and equip its members in facing disasters.
    The committee will meet once every month and conduct a periodic review of the progress of activities undertaken by them. "We will invite experts to conduct training in areas of fire-fighting, first aid and trauma handling. A list of agencies to report and take assistance from, will also be made. We will work closely with government and service agencies,'' said Swarn Kohli president of NPCCA. Joint municipal commissioner S S Shinde said that the civic corporation is working towards an early warning system. "This will give disaster news at public places and through messages,'' he said.

Schools get green signal on road safety

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: If you are a school principal who has been trying in vain to drive home the need for road safety among students, how about getting them to man the signal outside your institution?
    If you are keen on the idea, then Mumbai's assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Amarjit Singh has just the thing for you. While addressing a few hundred school teachers and principals at a function to commemorate the closure of the 20th National Road Safety Week on Wednesday, Singh spoke of the need for more schools to come forward and adopt the Road Safety Patrol (RSP) programme run by the traffic department in which students become RSP cadets.
    The programme, for students from Stds V to X, involves both the theory and practical side of road safety. Schools need to appoint a warden, usually the school PT teacher, for the RSP cadets. Currently, there are 472 schools which are a part of the programme, with 100 others gearing up to adopt it.
    "An RSP cadet is as valuable as an NCC cadet,'' says M P Sharma, principal of G D Somani School, which has been a part of the programme for over 25 years. Students, who have undergone the full threeyear RSP training, receive certificates that is beneficial for those who want to join either the defence force or the police department.
    Not all children get to patrol the streets. The students are first put through a rigorous training programme. "We conduct practical training in the form of a game, where we simulate a road with cars and students are given points for manoeuvring their vehicles through the street without breaking any rules,'' said Singh.
    While 50 girls from Anjuman-I-Islam's Saif Tyabji Girls School are a part of the RSP programme, they haven't yet ventured out to man traffic. "But they are so keen to handle traffic that we are soon going to depute them on the road outside school,'' said school principal Najma Kazi.
    In addition to traffic, Singh also discussed the need for disaster preparedness in schools. "If there's an earthquake, remember three things—Drop, Cover and Hold on. If you're in a classroom, this translates into falling to the ground, getting under the desk and holding on to it,'' he added.
    Among the other disasters, Singh spoke of floods, fire, and the latest disaster on Mumbai's list—terror. A bomb, said Singh, can be hidden in a whole range of items, from watermelons to dolls and from the plaster cast used for a fracture to the clothes on a person's body.
    While several schools are now accustomed to bomb scares caused by hoax calls, Singh discussed the ways in which to ascertain whether a caller on the phone talking of a bomb planted in the school was genuine or simply bluffing.

RIGHT TURN: ACP (traffic) Amarjit Singh and principal of Poorna Prajna High School, Aruna Galgali, at the road safety meet

‘We can reverse poverty, but not global warming’

Paris-based political scientist Susan George, one of Europe's best-known public intellectuals, spoke to Pamela Philipose during her recent visit to Delhi:

Would you change the argument you made in your first book of the 1970s, 'How The Other Half Dies'?
    No. Unfortunately. Of course, there have been changes in the scope of hunger and where it's most prevalent. Another big change is the fact that the food riots of last spring were global in scope. That's a world first: earlier they were either local or national. It's obvious now that neo-liberal answers to the crisis are discredited. Meanwhile, millions of small farmers have been ruined. They have been dispossessed of any possibility of either growing their food or buying it because they don't have jobs. Governments, if they continue like this, are playing with fire because they are not only contributing to destroying the base of food security, they are creating conditions for future social upheaval. So, it seems to me that this is a time when one can advocate different policies and hope governments listen.
Women seem to be among the worst affected in such times.
    In most societies, women are the first victims of hunger. I was shocked to read that nine out of 10 pregnant women in India are getting less than 80 per cent of the necessary caloric and protein supply. Women are very often food producers but are not in control of its marketing and, therefore, the resultant income. This is an ongoing problem. It has nothing to do with the actual amount of food available. Cultural and anthropological factors determine how food is distributed — inside families, communities, countries.
    What do you see as the big crisis facing the world?
    There are so many that you can talk about them in many plurals. The social crisis of poverty is getting worse: the rich are getting richer, the poor, poorer. There's no hope of ever reaching the Millennium Development Goals. The social crisis is aggravated by the food crisis. There's a water crisis, which means increasing numbers won't have access to sanitation and drinking water, which in turn means a health crisis. Then, of course, recently, we had the financial crisis, which affects everybody even if they don't have a rupee in the stock market because it impacts the real economy.
    But the most serious crisis of all is the ecological crisis. We can reverse poverty today, but not global warming. Once it's off the charts, it's off the charts. It's going to make the lives of poor people unbearable in large swathes of the world. This process is happening faster than scientists had predicted. We haven't even begun to measure the impacts of this crisis. So that's the one that keeps me awake.
    Women's Feature Service

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New cigarette hazard: Third-hand smoke

Toxic Residue From Cigarette Smoke Clings To Hair And Carpets, Endangering Children, Experts Say

Roni Caryn Rabin

 Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air of second-hand smoke, but experts now have identified another smokingrelated threat to children's health that isn't as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.
    That's the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers' hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they're crawling or playing on the floor.
    Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term "third-hand smoke" to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in this month's issue of the journal Pediatrics. "Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don't know about this," said Dr Jonathan P Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of paediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
    "When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it's okay because the second-hand smoke isn't getting to their kids," Winickoff added.
    Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, he said, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. "Your nose isn't lying," he said. "The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you: 'Get away'."
    The study reported on attitudes toward smoking in 1,500 households across the US. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and non-smokers were aware that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95% of non-smokers and 84% of smokers agreed with the statement that "inhaling smoke from a parent's cigarette can harm the health of infants and children". But far fewer of those surveyed were aware of the risks of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that "breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children". Only 65% of non-smokers and 43% of smokers agreed with that statement, which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke.
    Dr Philip Landrigan, a New York-based paediatrician, said the phrase third-hand smoke is a brand-new term that has implications for behaviour. "The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke," he said. "There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them."
    Among the substances in thirdhand smoke are hydrogen cyanide, used in chemical weapons; butane, which is used in lighter fluid; toluene, found in paint thinners; arsenic; lead; carbon monoxide; and even polonium-210, the highly radioactive carcinogen that was used to murder former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. Eleven of the compounds are highly carcinogenic. NYT NEWS SERVICE

Non-smokers get a ‘Ghajini’ boost

Mumbai: After years of slamming actors who light up on screen, anti-tobacco activists seem to have found something to cheer about in Aamir Khan's latest film, Ghajini.

    The recently released film is sending out a no-smoking message, earning kudos from long-time crusaders.
    According to research, 52% of children have their first puff after watching a celebrity light up. Moreover, Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss had requested Bollywood film-makers to not show actors smoking on screen.
    "We appreciate the efforts of and thank A Murugadoss, the director of Ghajini and Aamir Khan for highlighting such an important issue,'' said Dr P C Gupta, director of the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, who has been in the forefront of the campaign to ban smoking in public places.
    In the film, the character played by Jiah Khan is walking down the steps of a mall when she spots some men blowing smoke in people's faces inside the mall. The camera then pans to a 'No Smoking' board before Jiah says, "Yahan smoking allowed nahi hain.''
    When contacted, Murugadoss said, "I have never encouraged smoking in my films. If you look at this film, even the negative characters don't smoke. In fact, the scene in the film that does have smoking is actually against it.''
    The director added, "Youngsters worship actors and follow them blindly. So I always try to project my actors in a manner that his or her character does not glorify things which are not good.''
    Aamir himself said a balance should be struck between disc o u r a g i n g smoking and ensuring artistic freedom. "I fully support the drive to help people to quit smoking and I would strongly advise the youth not to get into this harmful habit in the first place. However, I don't think a ban on smoking in films makes sense. Films are a creative medium and are meant to reflect different aspects of life, good and bad. Murder is illegal in real life, but we don't put a ban on it in films. But we should definitely make every effort to discourage smoking in real life.''
    Regional officer Vinayak Azad of the Censor Board for Film Certification said there is still no official ban on smoking in films. "As for Ghajini promoting the ban on smoking in public, it is a good thing and more producers should do this through their films,'' said Azad.
    Director Mahesh Bhatt had filed a case against the health ministry's notification banning smoking on screen. The case is still pending in the Delhi high court. Bhatt said, "My writ has put a roadblock in the path of the government's ban on smoking on screen.''
Earlier, the health minister had taken strong objection to Shah Rukh Khan smoking in the 2006 film, Don. A notification was sent out that if an actor did have a smoking scene in a movie, he would have to shoot a small audio-visual segment warning people that smoking was injurious to health. This would then be used as a disclaimer prior to the screening of the film.

New Fire Safety Act makes safeguarding equipment mandatory for buildings

HEED FIRE NORMS OR FACE THE HEAT

New Fire Safety Act makes safeguarding equipment mandatory for buildings, those who don't comply will go to jail

 If your building does not have a fire-extinguisher, a hose reel, an automatic sprinkler and a tank storing adequate water to douse a fire, get ready to install them soon. The state government on Saturday brought into effect the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006 that will make it mandatory for all residential and commercial buildings with more than four floors to have proper fire-fighting equipment.
    Failure to install the mandatory equipment will be a non-bailable offence, with land-owners/occupiers facing six months to three years in jail. Building occupants will also have to pay Rs 30,000-Rs 1 lakh per annum (depending on number of floors) towards a special fund named Fire Protection Fund to be created at the level of the municipal body. The civic authority will utilise the fund to develop and strengthen fire-fighting services.
    The rules, finalised by the Urban Development department held by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, will be forwarded for implementation to all civic bodies in a couple of days. Until now, such regulations were applicable to seven-storey and taller buildings.
    Now, commercial structures like malls, hotels and multiplexes will have to appoint qualified fire safety officers to supervise fire-fighting systems. The Act also makes submission of fire safety audit certificates compulsory twice a year. Agencies to be specified by the Director of Fire Services will issue these certificates. Any agency found issuing faulty certificates will be liable for prosecution, says the Act.
    Though the Act was passed by the state legislature in 2006, the notification for it to be implemented came in the first week of December, 2008. The President's nod had come in early 2007. Since then, the government took time to work on the rules and implementation procedure. In the first phase, the Act is being implemented in municipal corporations and areas where MMRDA and CIDCO have been notified as special planning authorities, a government official said. Fire brigade establishments, under overall control of the municipal bodies, will now be regulated by the state government's Director of Fire Services. But in Mumbai, the director will intervene only in specific circumstances.
    The mandatory fire-fighting equipment are:

• Buildings less than 15 metres high (upto four floors) - 1. Fire extinguisher 2. Automatic s p r i n k l e r system 3. Hose reel 4. Terrace tank of 5,000 litres capacity

• Buildings 15 to 35 metres high - 1. Fire extinguisher 2. Hose reel 3. Down comer 4. Automatic sprinkler system 5. Manually operated electric fire alarm system 5. Terrace tank with 25,000 litres capacity

• Buildings more than 35 metres high - Besides all the equipment for smaller buildings, they will need wet risers, yard hydrants, automatic detection and alarm systems, and underground static water storage tank with 50,000 to 75,000 litres capacity.