Real Life Ghostbusters Requred!

A call has been placed for 'real life' Ghostbusters to attend to a spooky problem in The Royal Derby Hospital.

Is this an extreme case of looking after staff welbeing?

A ghostbuster has been called to a "haunted" hospital following reports by staff of a cloaked figure roaming the wards and corridors.

The spooky sightings at the new Royal Derby Hospital have prompted NHS bosses to summon an exorcist, The Sun claimed.

Senior manager Debbie Butler sent an email to staff, informing them of a plan to bring in a priest to rid the hospital of paranormal activity.

She wrote: "I'm not sure how many of you are aware that some members of staff have reported seeing a ghost.

"I'm taking it seriously as it is affecting some members of staff and the last thing I want is staff feeling uneasy at work. I don't want to scare anyone any more than necessary, but felt it was best I made you all aware of the situation and what we are doing about it.

"I've spoken to the Trust's chaplain and she is going to arrange for someone from the cathedral to exorcise the department."

The £334 million hospital is located on the site of the old Derby City General Hospital, which was built in the 1920s over part of a Roman road.

Ms Butler added: "I understand that some of you will probably be worried or scared about this. If any of you wish to discuss this, feel free to contact me at any time."

Anglican priests usually need to seek permission from a bishop before performing an exorcism. A spokesman for the Bishop of Derby told the newspaper: "Any case such as this is put to the Bishop. He would seek proper advice before taking action."

A spokeswoman for Derby Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We take information from staff seriously and are working with the hospital chaplaincy to put people's minds at ease."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090130/tuk-spooked-hospital-calls-ghostbuster-6323e80.html

Britain Celebrates Obama's Inauguration

Today is one of the biggest days in American History with the inauguration of the first black American President.

Britain is not letting this occasion go unmarked and several events are happening to coincide with this special day.

A series of events marking the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America are set to take place this side of the Atlantic.

American singer Kelly Rowland will be one of the performers at the Yes We Did inauguration party at the Intercontinental Hotel in Park Lane, central London.
The event will also celebrate the achievements of black Britons and other performers will include British singer and TV presenter Mica Paris.

There will be more celebrations at two balls at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, in central London, and The Davenport Hotel, in Dublin, which will raise money for Democrats Abroad.

The US political party's overseas branch will use the money raised to encourage American voters living abroad to register to vote back home.

Oxford has taken inspiration from Hawaii where the new president was born and spent most of his formative years. A Hawaiian luau will create a party atmosphere at the Kukui bar where party guests will include Oxford Union president Charlie Holt.

American students and staff at Queen's University in Belfast will gather in the Students' Union to watch Mr Obama take his oath.

Vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Gregson, said: "This is an important day for all our American students and staff and we are delighted to be able to give them the opportunity to come together to watch this historic inauguration ceremony.

"I hope that years from now they will look back at Queen's with fond memories when they recall where they were the day Barack Obama was sworn in as America's president.

"This is a day of historical significance for us all, not just the United States."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090120/tuk-uk-events-held-to-mark-obama-6323e80.html

Squirrel Flavour Crisps Could Be Winner!

Walkers have recently launched a competition to discover new flavours for their popular crisp brand.

They are now down to the six finalists but the favourite looks to be Cajun Squirrel! Do you think this could replace Salt & Vinegar?

Chilli and chocolate, crispy duck with hoisin sauce and Cajun squirrel are among a tastebud-testing new range of crisp flavours launched in Britain on Friday.

The flavours, chosen by the public and developed with the help of top chief Heston Blumethal, also include fish and chips, builder's breakfast and onion bhaji.

"The complexities of flavour fascinate me and to watch the British public get so excited about taste has been absolutely inspiring," said Blumenthal, chef of the Michelin three-starred Fat Duck restaurant.

"We've had an incredible response and sifting through the entries has been quite incredible. I can't wait to see which one the public choose as their winner!" he said.

The six flavours were chosen from more than a million suggestions sent in to crisp makers Walkers after they launched their "Do Us A Flavour" campaign last year to find out the British public's snack tastes.

They will be sold until May, after which there will be a vote to decide which flavour stays on sale permanently. The creator of the winner will get 50,000 pounds (77,000 dollars, 56,000 euros) plus one percent of future sales.

Of the six finalists, only one was proposed by a man: Cajun squirrel is the brainchild of Martyn Wright, 26, who said he was inspired to enter when he saw squirrel on a restaurant menu.
"This gentle Cajun flavouring will be delicious for the public and although the idea might sound bizarre, it really works," he said, while underlining that no squirrels were harmed in making the crisps.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090109/tuk-britain-nuts-over-squirrel-flavour-c-a7ad41d.html

Tax Payers Are Being Targeted By Fraudsters

It is now that time of year when many of us are trying to complete ouer tax returns before the deadline. It now transpires however that there is a new type of fraudster targeting us when we are at out most vulnerable.

To be aware could stop you being the victim of identity theft;

Revenue and Customs officials warned of an unprecedented wave of false email messages and telephone calls.

They urged people to be on their guard for scam emails attempting to gather personal information and bank details.

The messages tell the recipient they are due a tax refund and ask for bank or credit card details so the fictitious refund can be paid. Some residents have also been approached on the telephone by conmen posing as tax officials trying to arrange rebate payments.

There have been more than 11,000 reports of fraudulent repayment emails since April last year.

Customers who provide their details risk thefts from their bank accounts and having their details sold to organised criminal gangs.

Lesley Strathie, who heads HM Revenue and Customs, warned that fraudsters had become more sophisticated than ever.

She said: "This is the most sophisticated and prolific phishing scam that we have encountered. We only ever contact customers who are due a refund in writing by post. We never use emails, telephone calls or external companies in these circumstances. I would strongly encourage anyone receiving such an email to send it to us for investigation."

Officials said attempts to dishonestly gather personal information were likely to continue after the January 31 self-assessment deadline had passed.

A HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said officials were working with police in Austria, Mexico, the United States, Thailand and Japan to tackle the fraudsters.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090108/tuk-fraudsters-target-british-taxpayers-6323e80.html

Sexual Bullying The New Scourge In Schools

Frighteningly it seems that there is an increase in the number of sexual bullying cases in schools resulting in many pupils being excluded from school for participating in such activities. The rise is particulary relevant in the younger age range.

A "shocking new trend" in sex bullying has been revealed as figures showed more than 3,000 children were suspended from school for sexual misconduct. Pupils suspended for sex bullying

Around 3,500 pupils in England were given fixed-term exclusions from school for sexual misconduct in the academic year 2006/07 - including 260 in primary schools, statistics from the Department for Children, Schools and Families have shown.

The figures are featured in a BBC1 Panorama programme which also quotes the findings of a survey of 11 to 19-year-olds by the charity Young Voice, showing one in 10 had been forced against their will to take part in sex acts.

Sexual misconduct can cover a range of behaviours from a one-off incident of daubing sexually-explicit graffiti on a wall to name-calling, inappropriate touching and serious sexual attacks.
Groping and the use of sexually-abusive nicknames have become almost part of daily life for some pupils, according to the Panorama programme.

Writing in the Daily Mail, presenter Jeremy Vine said he gathered a group of a dozen mothers and fathers in a bar to talk about sexual bullying.

Richard Piggin, from the charity Beatbullying, said sexual bullying was "relatively common" and a serious problem.

"We are looking at sexual misconduct, name-calling and also inappropriate touching, and young people being forced into sexual activity that they are not really comfortable with," he told BBC Breakfast. There is a significant number of young people that we have worked with who have told us that they have either experienced it, or have witnessed it in their schools or in their community."

The Panorama programme comes after Children's Secretary Ed Balls asked the Anti Bullying Alliance to draw up guidance for teachers on tackling sexual bullying.

The guidance will tackle inappropriate language, advise teachers on how to manage cases of harassment, and encourage healthy friendships between teenage boys and girls amid concerns of misogynistic attitudes linked to gang culture.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090105/tuk-pupils-suspended-for-sex-bullying-6323e80.html

Is A Tax On Mileage Rather Than Gas The Answer?

With the recent concerns over the costs of upkeeping roads, the price of gas and also the effects of global warming the state of Oregan is testing out taxing mileage rather than gas.

In order for roads to be maintained at their current levels the Government will need to recover the lost revenue from fuel efficient cars this may be the way forward!

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles. The idea first emerged nearly 10 years ago as Oregon lawmakers worried that fuel-efficient cars such as gas-electric hybrids could pose a threat to road upkeep, which is paid for largely with gasoline taxes.

"I'm glad we're taking a look at it before the potholes get so big that we can't even get out of them," said Leroy Younglove, a Portland driver who participated in a recent pilot program.
The proposal is not without critics, including drivers who are concerned about privacy and others who fear the tax could eliminate the financial incentive for buying efficient vehicles.
But Oregon is ahead of the nation in exploring the concept, even though it will probably be years before any mileage tax is adopted.

Congress is talking about it, too. A congressional commission has envisioned a system similar to the prototype Oregon tested in 2006-2007.

The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is considering calling for higher gas taxes to keep highways, bridges and transit programs in good shape.
But over the long term, commission members say, the nation should consider taxing mileage rather than gasoline as drivers use more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

As cars burn less fuel, "the gas tax isn't going to fill the bill," said Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The next Congress "could begin to set the stage, perhaps looking at some much more robust pilot programs, to begin the research, to work with manufacturers."

Gov. Ted Kulongoski has included development money for the tax in his budget proposal, and interest is growing in a number of other states.

Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island have considered systems that would require drivers to report their mileage when they register vehicles.

In North Carolina last month, a panel suggested charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.

James Whitty, the Oregon Department of Transportation employee in charge of the state's effort, said he's also heard talk of mileage tax proposals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado and Minnesota.

"There is kind of a coalition that's naturally forming around this," he said.

Also fueling the search for alternatives is the political difficulty of raising gasoline taxes.
The federal gas tax has not been raised since 1993, and nearly two dozen states have not changed their taxes since 1997, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

In Oregon's pilot program, officials equipped 300 vehicles with GPS transponders that worked wirelessly with service station pumps, allowing drivers to pay their mileage tax just as they do their gas tax.

Whitty said the test, which involved two gas stations in the Portland area, proved the idea could work.

Though the GPS devices did not track the cars' locations in great detail, they could determine when a driver had left certain zones, such as the state of Oregon. They also kept track of the time the driving was done, so a premium could be charged for rush-hour mileage.

The proposal envisions a gradual change, with manufacturers installing the technology in new vehicles because retrofitting old cars would be too expensive. Owners of older vehicles would continue to pay gasoline taxes.

The difference in tax based on mileage or on gasoline would be small — "pennies per transaction at the pump," Whitty said.

But the mileage tax still faces several major obstacles.

For one, Oregon accounts for only a small part of auto sales, so the state can't go it alone. A multistate or national system would be needed.

Another concern is that such devices could threaten privacy. Whitty said he and his task force have assured people that the program does not track detailed movement and that driving history is not stored and cannot be accessed by law enforcement agencies.

"I think most people will come to realize there is really no tracking issue and will continue to buy new cars," Whitty said, noting that many cell phones now come equipped with GPS, which has not deterred customers.

Others are worried that a mileage tax would undermine years of incentives to switch toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.

"It doesn't seem fair," said Paul Niedergang of Portland, that a hybrid would be taxed as much as his Dodge pickup. "I just think the gas tax needs to be updated."

Lynda Williams, also of Portland, was not immediately sold on the idea but said it was worth consideration.

"We all have to be open-minded," she said. "Our current system just isn't working."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090103/ap_on_re_us/mileage_tax

Death Of World's Oldest Person

Sadly the New Year has started with the death of the World's oldest recorded person

A Portuguese woman who was the world's oldest person has died at the age of 115.

Maria de Jesus became the world's oldest person after an American woman, Edna Parker, died in November at the age of 115 years and 220 days, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

A family member said Maria de Jesus died in an ambulance on her way to hospital.
She was born on September 10, 1893 and reached 115 years and 114 days old

Gertrude Baines from California now takes over the mantel of Oldest Living Person

An African American , Baines lives in Los Angeles. Aside from her arthritis and inability to walk, Baines is very healthy and has never had a seriously sick day in her life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Baines
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090102/twl-world-s-oldest-person-dies-at115-41f21e0.html