Tuesday, January 12, 2010

In a statement released today, former American baseball star Mark McGwire admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs during his career, including the 1998 season, when he broke Roger Maris‘s single season record for home runs, hitting 70 of them. McGwire admitted to the use of drugs in the late 1980s and during most of the 1990s. There had been wide speculation about McGwire’s use of performance-enhancing drugs, as he came from an era of baseball that has been dubbed the “steroid era” because of the high use of performance enhancing drugs throughout Major League Baseball.

“I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era…I shouldn’t have done it and for that I’m truly sorry…It’s time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected,” said some of the statement released by the St. Louis Cardinals today. McGwire had recently been hired as the Cardinal’s hitting coach and was set to begin the job this season.

McGwire, 46, had been regarded as one of the most powerful hitters of his time. Over his career, McGwire hit 583 home runs, which is currently tied with Alex Rodriguez, who has also admitted to steroid use. McGwire is now one of the six players in the top 15 home run hitters of all time that has either confessed to or been linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

McGwire’s best season came in 1998, when he set the record for most home runs in a single season. After a race throughout the final months of the season with Sammy Sosa, he ended with 70 home runs, easily beating Roger Maris’s previous record of 61 (This record was later broken by Barry Bonds, who now holds the current record of 73).

“I’m sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn’t take any and I had bad years when I didn’t take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids,” said McGwire to the Associated Press. According to McGwire, the steroids were used for the enhancement of his play as well as to recover from the several injuries that he suffered between the 1990 and 1994 seasons.

In the statement, he also commended the MLB Player’s Association for attempting to remove steroids from the game. “Baseball is really different now— it’s been cleaned up. The commissioner and the Player’s Association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I’m glad they did,” McGwire stated.” Since he used the steroids before the current rules were in place, McGwire will likely not be disciplined by the league or the MLBPA.

In 2005, McGwire was called to the U.S. Congress and refused to answer questions about his steroid use, saying that he did “…not want to talk about the past.” It is unknown if the MLB will investigate into this matter.

Mark McGwire is currently tied for eighth on the all-time home runs list. he played 16 Major League seasons and retired following the 2001 season. He is currently the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Saturday, September 3, 2005

Onsite commentators are blasting the United States federal government, saying the response to Hurricane Katrina has been too slow and otherwise inadequate.

Mayor Ray Nagin has repeatedly pleaded for more help.

The Washington Post reports that on the Friday after the storm, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco got a proposal from the federal government for her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans. The state rejected that option hours later. Blanco had declared a state of emergency on August 26. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has pointed out “our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor.”

The city’s police chief warned that storm victims were being raped and beaten on the streets. Even in the Superdome stadium and the city convention center, where tens of thousands had awaited evacuation, fights had broken out, rubbish burned, and dead bodies have been left uncollected. The Superdome evacuation was completed Saturday night. The Superdome had been opened as a refuge of last resort for people who did not participate in the voluntary evacuation of the city before the storm.

The head of New Orleans‘ emergency operations, Terry Ebbert, complained that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not doing its job. “This is a national emergency. This is a national disgrace,” he said. “FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can’t bail out New Orleans.” Ebbert also said he hasn’t seen “a single FEMA guy” at the Superdome Wednesday (the main staging area was 6 miles away along the adjoining I-10 at the Causeway intersection); the photo at right had been taken three days earlier by a FEMA worker before the storm. FEMA estimated the damage in all states affected where 637,994 people usually live.

Web pundits suggest that Mike Brown, the head of FEMA, will “be chosen to take the fall” for the poor response. [1] A critic at the International Arabian Horse Association, which previously fired Mike Brown, said “He was an unmitigated, total…disaster. I was shocked as hell when captain clueless (a reference to President G.W. Bush) put him in charge of FEMA a couple of years ago.” [2] It has also been suggested that the impact of the philosophy of privatization has damaged federal emergency response, but the validity of such claims has not been assessed. [3]

Not all federal agencies are being blasted for their role in exacerbating the disaster. In particular, the Coast Guard has been lauded for its rescue efforts, which began immediately. There was been widespread criticism of the failure to mobilize National Guard units from other states. Such units have now been deployed, but the debate over their slow deployment will rage for some time. Sunday the Washington Post reported that Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday.

A significant component of the criticism directed at federal and state governments has been the lack of access given to local volunteers and the Red Cross.[4] Local officials, especially Mayor Nagin, have been harshly criticized for failing to follow existing evacuation plans. In particular, aerial photographs show numerous unused city school buses, which were to have been used in the evacuation.

Over twenty-five nations, some with assets in the area, have offered aid to the city of New Orleans, but the president has refused all material aid from foreign nations. Such refusal of aid is not uncommon among nations with coldy hostile relationships, such as between the U.S. and Cuba or Venezuela, but it has created a stir among the European media.

As of September 4th, the US has extended a “wish list” largely duplicating the offer from Germany. German supplies, including an airborne hospital are expected to arrive September 5th. The US has also asked the EU and NATO for assistance. [5]

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Members of Australia’s Health Services Union (HSU) will go on strike in Victoria next week in a dispute over stalled wage and career structure negotiations. Over 5000 physiotherapists, speech pathologists and radiation therapists will walk off the job next week, effectively closing the state’s 68 largest health services.

The strike will force the closure of intensive care units and emergency departments across the state.

It is feared the strike could continue into Easter.

National secretary of the HSU, Kathy Jackson said admissions would be crippled, while intensive care patients would have to be evacuated to New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia as hospitals will not be able to perform tests or administer treatment.

“When an ambulance shows up you can’t admit a patient without an X-ray being available, you can’t intubate them and you can’t operate on them,” she said.

“If something goes wrong in an ICU you need to be able to X-ray, use nuclear medicine or any diagnostic procedure,” said Ms Jackson.

Ms Jackson said the HSU offered arbitration last year, but the state government refused. “They’re not interested in settling disputes, they hope that we are just going to go away.”

“We’re not going away, we’ve gone back and balloted the whole public health workforce in Victoria, those ballots were successful, 97 percent approval rating,” she said.

The HSU is urging the government to commence serious negotiations to resolve the dispute before industrial action commenced.

The government has offered the union a 3.25 per cent pay increase, in line with other public sector workers but the union has demanded more, but stopped short of specifying a figure.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said the claim would be settled according to the government’s wages policy. “The Government is always willing and wanting to sit down and negotiate with the relevant organisations . . . we have a wages policy based around an increase of 3.25 per cent and, above that, productivity offset,” he told parliament.

The union claims it is also arguing against a lack of career structure, which has caused many professionals to leave the health service. Ms Jackson said wages and career structures in Victoria were behind other states.

Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said he was not in support of the proposed strike and called on the government to meet with unions. “There could not be a more serious threat to our health system than has been announced today.”

“We now have to do whatever is possible to stop this strike from proceeding,” he said.

The opposition leader will meet with the union at 11:30 AM today.

Victorian Hospitals Industry Association industrial relations services manager Simon Chant said hospitals were looking at the possible impact and warned that patients may have to be evacuated interstate if the strike goes ahead.

Saturday, October 23, 2021

China property giant Evergrande Group wired USD83.5 million in interest owed in an offshore bond from September 23 on Thursday, temporarily averting default, according to a Reuters source and Chinese newspaper Securities Times.

The wire to a Citibank fiduciary account following a 30-day grace period came after assurances by various members of the Chinese government, Reuters reported. At a Beijing forum Wednesday, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He described the risks as controllable, and chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission Yi Huiman said that while authorities needed to curb excessive debt more broadly by “improv[ing] the effectiveness of the constraint mechanism on debt financing”, the matter would be dealt with properly.

Once China’s top real estate developer, Evergrande had accumulated approximately USD305 billion in liabilities, two per cent of the Chinese gross national product, after “dwindling resources” cut its value by 80%, according to Reuters. September data revealed Chinese home sales by value fell by nearly 17% year-on-year, according to The Guardian, and fears over its default led to a slowdown in China’s third quarter GDP growth to a year low of 4.9%. Two sale negotiations with rival developers Hopson Development and Yuexiu, valued at USD2.6 billion and USD1.7 billion, respectively, were suspended, reportedly due to a lack of consent by the government of Guangdong province currently overseeing Evergrande’s restructuring.

News of Evergrande’s remittance caused its shares to rise by as much as 7.8% this morning after a two-week pause in trading for the anticipated sale of 50.1% in Evergrande Property Services Group, and offering some reprieve for bondholders, according to Reuters. Portfolio manager at GaoTeng Global Asset Management James Wong, interviewed by The Guardian, called the news “a positive surprise”, adding “[i]f Evergrande pays this time, I don’t see why it won’t pay the next time.” Jun Rong Yeap for IG Asia pte., interviewed by Bloomberg, said the report “overturned” the narrative “that Evergrande will face difficulty in securing cash ahead”.

Further missed payments are due October 29 and November 11 after similar 30-day grace periods; including yesterday’s USD83.5 million, nearly USD280 million is owed to bondholders.

Stocks have been down for many major Chinese developers: Reuters Wednesday reported year-to-date stock prices fell 87.8% for Sinic Holdings, currently in Fitch Ratings’ ‘restricted default’ after failing to make an October 18 bond payment valued, according to The Guardian, at USD246 million; 80.2% for Evergrande itself; 78.3% for E-House, 58.5% for Fantasia Holdings and 54.6% for Kaisa Group, which defaulted in 2015 and had bonds reach record lows.

Estimates of the Chinese real estate market’s size range from 16 to 25% of the Chinese gross domestic product, according to The Guardian. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aim to transform the country’s economy from one of debt-fuelled “inflated” growth to one of improved “quality and returns” included imposing regulations on developers that limited their capacity to borrow. A Guardian comment piece from economist George Magnus published on October 15 made reference to China’s “ghost cities” and “rampant credit creation” that has given rise to high vacancy rates and the “financialisaton of housing”.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Larry Stevens is running for the Libertarian Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Kitchener-Conestoga riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The 1999 and 2000 year model Honda Civic SiR tops the list of Canada’s most stolen cars.

Consumer popularity also assures the cars will be popular with thieves. Its the second year in a row the Honda SiR has topped the list.

Rick Dubin Vice President of Investigations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada said “The Civics are easy targets.”

Dubin said that once stolen, the cars are most often sold to “chop shops” where thieves completely dismantle the vehicles. The automobile’s individual parts are worth more than the entire car.

The sheer numbers of the cars and their lack of theft deterrent systems make them thieves’ preferred choices.

1999 and 2000 Honda Civics do not come with an electronic immobilizer, however all Hondas from 2001 and onward are equipped with an immobilizer. Immobilizers will be mandatory on all new cars sold beginning September 2007. The devices enable an engine computer to recognize an electronic code in the key. If the code in the key and the engine don’t match exactly, the vehicle can’t be started.

In third place was the 2004 Subaru Impreza, while the 1999 Acura Integra came in fourth, with the 1994 Honda Civic rounding out the top five.

In sixth place, the 1998 Acura Integra, and the 1993 Dodge Shadow completed seventh.

When asked why early model vehicles are selected, he said that, “auto thieves continue to find it easier to steal older vehicles lacking an IBC-approved immobilizer. We’ve seen this trend developing for several years, and these results confirm it.”

Another Honda automobile, the 1996 year model Civic filled eighth place, with the 2000 German Audi TT Quattro in ninth.

The American 1996 Chevrolet/GMC Blazer rounded out the top ten.

None of the above cars had an electronic immobilizer.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Paul the Octopus, the octopus who became famous for correctly predicting the winner of Germany’s seven matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as the final, has died of natural causes. During the football tournament in South Africa earlier this year, Paul, who lived in an aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, chose between two glass boxes placed in his tank, which would have a German flag and the flag of the country which the country would be playing against. Both boxes would contain food, and the box which Paul chose to eat out of would be the winners. The octopus correctly predicted the result of all of Germany’s games, and hypothesised that Spain would beat the Netherlands in the final — which they duly did. Paul became internationally famous for his correct predictions, and was dubbed by some as the “oracle octopus”. All his predictions were filmed and broadcast across the world, and he became a hit on the video sharing website YouTube.

During the World Cup, Rupert Adams of William Hill, one of Britain’s largest bookmakers, said that the octopus’s success rate was remarkable. “If you had had ten pounds on each and every prediction then re-invested your winnings you would currently have over 1,450 pounds,” he said. “It’s an astonishing feat to get six predictions in a row. I am told people are walking into our shops and saying ‘I will have what the Octopus predicted.'” After the World Cup this year, it was announced Paul would retire. “He won’t give any more oracle predictions — either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy,” a spokesperson for the aquarium said at the time. “Paul will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh.” Paul’s life was not without controversy. During the tournament Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the media storm was a sign of decay in Western culture. “Those who believe in this type of thing cannot be the leaders of the global nations that aspire, like Iran, to human perfection, basing themselves in the love of all sacred values,” he said.

Paul’s death was announced by the aquarium on Tuesday, when a spokesperson said that he had died of natural causes during the night. “We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided for him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered,” he said. He added that common octopuses live for only a few years. Paul’s final prediction was that England would host the World Cup in 2018. A special clothing line and a mobile phone application are to be released, along with a documentary tracking his life. “His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself,” the spokesperson said. “We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine. While this may seem a curious thing to do for a sea creature, Paul achieved such popularity during his short life that it may be deemed the most appropriate course of action.”