By Maryland National Guard American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2011 - The Maryland National Guard has activated 25 soldiers to assist in the response to heavy flooding in parts of the state caused by Tropical Storm Lee's heavy rains, according to officials.
"Our soldiers and airmen are ready and well trained and equipped to respond to a variety of requests, from transportation with Humvees, five-ton trucks, helicopters and other aircraft," Adkins said. "We have trained with our local first responders and emergency service personnel and have resources to be available across the state." The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee deposited a large amount of rainfall into the Chesapeake Bay watershed over the past three days, officials said. Consequently, the ground in some areas has reached saturation point, with many local rivers and tributaries overflowing their banks. Numerous flash floods have been reported to date, as has street and road flooding in the Washington-Baltimore region. The declaration activates the Maryland National Guard and allows state emergency operation centers for local jurisdictions to access state resources when the need extends beyond their capabilities. The Guardsmen are on standby in designated armories across Maryland and are ready to support local first responders if needed. The Guard has so far responded to requests from Cecil, Harford and Charles Counties. Floodwaters are expected to continue to rise along the Susquehanna River and all areas downstream of the Conowingo Dam, officials said. Havre d Grace and Port Deposit, as well as Perryville, are reporting flooding. | ||
| Related Sites: Maryland National Guard Related Articles: Maryland National Guard Mobilized for Hurricane Irene Support 1,600 National Guard Members Continue Hurricane Irene Recovery Operations | ||
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Maryland Guard Tackles Lee Storm Floods
The U N Human Rights Council must act immediately
Truth and Justice Needed to Resolve Sri Lanka Rights Crisis, Says Amnesty International
Washington, DC -- The United Nations Human Rights Council must act immediately to end the crisis of impunity that plagues Sri Lanka more than two years after the end of the bloody civil war in the country, Amnesty International told the Council today.
Sri Lanka’s government has failed to provide justice for victims of ongoing human rights violations, has not provided adequate assistance to all communities affected by the conflict, and has significantly weakened independent public institutions, the organization said after remarks by Sri Lankan Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. The minister told the Council that his government’s response to human rights concerns was "second to none" in the post-conflict period.
"Any sustainable peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka will depend on a genuine, independent effort being made to learn the truth about serious violations during the civil war and deliver justice to the victims and their families," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. "National efforts to date have fallen far short of the mark, and the ongoing culture of impunity in Sri Lanka is shielding those responsible for past and ongoing abuses from being brought to justice." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has indicated he will officially transmit to the Human Rights Council the findings of his expert panel’s report that finds "credible allegations" of war crimes and crimes against humanity by all sides to the Sri Lankan conflict. As of today, the report has not been officially transmitted, although no explanation has been given for the delay. "The secretary general’s panel of experts produced a strong, credible, well-founded report, and it is now time for the Human Rights Council to begin discussing these allegationsfully with the Sri Lankan government," said Zarifi. Since the armed conflict ended in May 2009, Amnesty International has documented ongoing human rights violations, especially in the north and east of the country. These include humanitarian workers being denied access to communities who returned after the fighting, allegations of ill-treatment including sexual assault by security forces, and lack of consultation with local communities in the resettlement process. Media critics face threats while the government has failed to prosecute killings of journalists. Since 2009 alone, Sri Lanka’s national Human Rights Commission has received more than 8,000 complaints. Sri Lankan authorities have failed to implement the interim report of its internal inquiry into civil war abuses, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). Sri Lanka’s government has ignored commitments it made after the United Nations Human Rights Council reviewed the country’s human rights situation in 2008, including a pledge to prosecute those responsible for a variety of crimes under international law. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government recently lifted the state of emergency that had been in place for nearly three decades, but other repressive laws are still active, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Detainees have been held arbitrarily for prolonged periods – sometimes years – without charge. "It’s time for the Human Rights Council to actively promote truth, justice and reparations for the country’s thousands of victims of grave human rights violations that took place both during and after the civil war," said Zarifi. Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Patients with chronic diseases are on the rise.
Ludhiana, 10th September, Haematology, Oncology and Bone marrow transplantation services are at a turning point in our country with increasing number of patients requiring the need for these services. With a projected increase in chronic diseases in India and increasing life span, patients with these diseases are on the rise.
The caregiver at the bedside has a very important role in the outcome of cancer patients. On this behalf Christian Medical College, Ludhiana conducted a unique national conference for the nurses and physician assistants working in the field of cancer and bone marrow transplantation. This is the first time in this region such a conference is held on the theme ‘Importance of Nursing care’focusing on ‘Quality, Competency and Research’.This was attended by more than 300 delegates from 10 different states of the country and 25 different institutions.
The meeting was inaugurated by the Chief guest Dr Kim.J.Mammen and Dr Kunal Jain gave the welcome speech.While Mrs Abanti Gopan from Kolkota spoke about quality in nursing care, Ms Swapna Joshi from TMH Mumbai, detailed on how to go about research in nursing care and Dr M Joseph John from CMC Ludhiana mentioned clinician’s view point on nursing care and emphasized that Indian nurses can be as good or better than nurses from abroad by giving adequate training more responsibility.
Ms Jyoti Sahni from PGI, Chandigarh talked about the infection control in specialized units and Ms Joylen Jonahs from Pune explained the details of managing central lines. Mrs Selva Titus from Vellore expounded on the importance of filtration technology in Haematology-Oncology and transplant units to reduce the incidence of infections.
Ms Anita Desouza from Mumbai gave the details of maintaining a clean environment for BMT and leukemia units and Ms Margaret from Vellore gave the details of stem cell handling. Ms Deepshika Gupta from Ludhiana mentioned about the ways to prevent and manage extravasations.
Post lunch there were panel discussions on training avenues for nurses and physician assistants, attrition among nurses, optimal manpower in a specialized unit and maintaining interpersonal relationships in a unit. This was followed by quiz for the audience and organizing secretary Dr M Joseph John gave the vote of thanks.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Theatre Workshop For Working Proffessionals
The Asmita weekend theatre workshop, conceptualised by Mr Arvind Gaur Director Asmita theatre group, is the first of its kind. This workshop provides working professionals a platform to pursue theatre on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
The uniqunes of this workshop lies in the selection of its content, chosen to study contemporary acting. Socio-political issues become a subject of discussions, improvisations and script reading.Voice and speech work, quintessential in acting are taught by means of physical exercises, street plays and monolouges.
15 years of knowledge and experience of Asmita Theatre Group is carefully filtered into the minds of students by the senior most actors of Asmita, under the critical guidance of Mr. Arvind Gaur.
Finally the three month workshop culminates in a public production.
"Kharashe" a play based on short stories by Gulzar was performed by the second batch of Asmita Weekend Theatre Workshop at I.H.C on the 26th and 27th of july.A comprehensive documentation of this play is available at the Asmita Weekend Theatre Group on Facebook.
For More Details Contact: Shiv Chauhan-9958793683,Shilpi Marwaha-9540656537, Arvind Gaur-9899650509
The 8th Ophthalmic quiz for undergraduate at CMC
Ludhiana, 9th September: The Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College and Hospital successfully organized the 8th Ophthalmic quiz for undergraduate medical students in the hospital auditorium on 9th September 2011. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Dr.A.G.Thomas, Director, CMC and Hospital. He encouraged the participating teams and appreciated the efforts of the department in making this academic venture a much awaited annual feature of the institution.
Among the 30 undergraduate teams, 5 teams qualified for the quiz following the preliminary round. Dr.Nitin Batra and Dr.Gurvinder Kaur conducted the finals. Anjali B Susan and Anu Sara Philip (Batch of 2008) were the winner & Nayana Sebastian and Dona George (Batch of 2006) were the 1st runner up.
Dr.S.M.Bhatti, Principal CMC, was the guest of Honour and presented a special Award of Merit to an outstanding student, Geetika Gera (Batch of 2007). Gayatri Bhatia (Batch of 2008) presented an interesting talk titled ‘Hall of Fame’, which gave a brief history of legendary ophthalmologists.
Vermont Official Praises National Guard for Storm Help
By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau
RUTLAND, Vt., Sept. 6, 2011 - The National Guard is essential to Vermont's recovery from Hurricane Irene, the director of the state's crippled road system said here Sept. 4.
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A week after post-Irene flooding crippled arterial roads through the state, the Vermont National Guard's Task Force Green Mountain Spirit is leading a multi-state effort to support civil authorities who are helping affected residents and reconnecting cut-off communities with the rest of the world.
"We're just so thrilled that the National Guard has come through [in] this way so quickly, and we're looking forward to getting to the end of this," Searles said.
More than 2,500 Guard members worked through the Labor Day weekend in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Vermont to assist residents and repair roads in the storm's aftermath.
More than 700 members of the Vermont National Guard are mobilized here, said Air Force Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow, state public affairs officer, and they have been joined by Guard members from supporting states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Maine and New Hampshire. More troops and equipment are en route from Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia.
"What began as a Vermont National Guard mission has now become a true multi-state National Guard mission, and that's something we're very proud of," Goodrow said. "States continue to call to lend their hand. This is a time when, really, the National Guard shines."
Late Sept. 3 and through the early morning hours the following day, a convoy of 118 military vehicles and about 200 National Guard members rolled in here after a 12-hour drive from Maine, bringing heavy equipment to speed the repair of Vermont's roads.
"We need engineering units and construction units," Searles said. "Everybody involved in Vermont has been working on this, but they really needed to be augmented."
Vermont has its own equipment and its Guard members are at work -- including the 131st Engineers -- but widespread damage to the state's road system has left many residents separated from jobs and outside services. The fall leaf season that normally draws thousands of tourists here and the winter ski season -- both important to the state's economy -- are also imminent.
The Maine National Guard "feels incredibly honored to assist in the recovery operation to the people of Vermont, overcoming these serious infrastructure damages," said Army Lt. Col. Normand Michaud, commander, 133rd Engineer Battalion.
The Maine Engineer Task Force -- about 200 Maine Army and Air National Guard members -- responded within 36 hours to the state of Vermont request, Michaud said, bringing 169 pieces of heavy engineering equipment -- including D7 bulldozers, 20-ton dump trucks and excavators -- to assist the people of Vermont.
While much of Vermont was spared the worst of Hurricane Irene and is open for business as usual, key east-west roads in the state's famed central mountains are closed. Residents discuss agonizing work commutes that include detours into surrounding states to try to work around road closures. Important trucking corridors are impassable.
"It's about reconnecting people to their jobs, to their groceries," Searles said. "It's also about commerce."
The topography that gives Vermont its scenic beauty -- rugged mountains, steep valleys, narrow streams and low-lying pastures -- also brings the state's greatest challenges. When four miles of Route 107 -- including one river-eaten stretch about a mile long -- were damaged by the flooding, it cut off some communities completely and added many hours and dozens of miles to the routine drives of even those who could get out of their towns.
"It's the biggest event in my lifetime, for sure," Searles said. "It's been compared to the flood of 1927 and ... there are a couple of rivers that have exceeded 1927 water levels," which claimed 85 lives.
"We know a lot more about how to deal with these sorts of things and save lives than we did back then," he said. But Irene wreaked havoc with essential infrastructure.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Panetta Visits 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero
By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2011 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today toured the National September 11 Memorial and Museum site here.
Lower Manhattan's ground zero is still a construction zone, with hard-hatted workers, cranes and heavy equipment all busy on new buildings near the former site of the two towers. The area where the towers stood, however, will open as part of the memorial to the public this Sept. 11, -- the tenth anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,996 people after terrorist hijackers crashed four passenger jets: one into each of the towers, one into the Pentagon, and one into a field near Shanksville, Pa., short of its likely Washington, D.C., target. The 8-acre memorial centers on the sites of the former towers, now transformed to square, granite reflecting pools, each about an acre in size. Each pool is fed by 4 30-foot waterfalls that descend from ground level, and the pools drain into what memorial staff members describe as a "center void" at the bottom of each. The theme the pools represent is "reflecting absence," according to memorial officials. The waterfalls are edged with bronze ledges about waist-high, inscribed with the names of all the victims who died in the 2001 attacks, as well as the six people killed during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The terrorist attacks of a decade ago brought the nation together in a commitment that such horror "will never happen again," Panetta said. "As tragic as 9/11 was, we have drawn tremendous inspiration [from it]," he said, adding that those who attacked the United States in an attempt to weaken the country actually made it stronger. The day of the attacks, Panetta said, he was on Capitol Hill briefing members of Congress on ocean issues. After remaining in Washington for a few days, he rented a car and drove across the country to his home in California. "It ... was an interesting drive," Panetta said. "It gave me a chance to see how the rest of the country came together after 9/11." Driving through the Midwest, he saw "God bless America" signs. "It just told you a lot about what this country's made of," he said. Contrasting ground zero today with the devastation he viewed shortly after the attacks, Panetta said, shows the resilience of the country and the city. "I think this is going to be a special place," he said of New York City's 9/11 memorial and museum, "for people to ... come to and remind themselves not only of the sacrifice that was made, but also the great strength the American people have in coming back." During his visit to ground zero, Panetta also toured the Memorial Museum, which is scheduled to open next year on Sept. 11. Seven of the museum's 10 stories are underground, and part of the above-ground structure will display structural components recovered after the towers fell. Sarah Lippman, a member of the memorial staff, told reporters the site will also feature 400 swamp white oak trees, more than 200 of which already are in place. The leaves of swamp white oaks typically start changing color around the time of the anniversary, she said, and the trees are expected to grow from their current height of about 25 feet to an eventual 60 feet. Also on the site is the "survivor tree," a pear tree found alive at the site after the attacks and nursed back to health at a nearby nursery, Lippman said. Five service members who enlisted since 9/11 accompanied Panetta on today's visit. They are: -- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan M. Celko, who enlisted in the Army in 2004 and deployed twice with the 10th Mountain Division's 4th Base Support Team Battalion out of Fort Polk, La. He is from Middlesex, N.J. -- Navy Lt. Adam C. Jones enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in 2002 and earned his commission in 2006. His was the first class to enroll after 9/11. He is from Annapolis, Md. -- Marine Corps Sgt. Carlos A. Tovar enlisted in March 2008. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, he became a U.S. citizen while serving in the Marine Corps. He is from Orlando, Fla. -- Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr. enlisted in 2002 following graduation from Southwestern Community College. He was wounded by enemy fire on his second deployment. He is from Chula Vista, Calif. -- Coast Guard Lt. Nikea L. Natteal graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2006 as part of the first class to enroll following 9/11. She is from Yuma, Ariz. Gutierrez told reporters the visit to ground zero "reminded me why I enlisted." Gutierrez said he tried to enlist the day after the attacks, but the recruiting stations were closed. When they reopened, a waiting list quickly formed because of the rush of people wanting to sign up for the military, he said, and his own enlistment was final about six months after the attacks. America's greatest strength is highlighted by its service members, Panetta said. And the young people in uniform traveling with him today, he added, represent the service they and their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have given to the nation. "Since 9/11, we have achieved significant success going after al-Qaida and ...[its] leadership," Panetta said, adding that, nevertheless, it's critical to maintain pressure on the terrorist organization. The secretary was scheduled to travel from New York to Shanksville, Pa., and the Flight 93 Memorial there, also set to open Sunday. That segment of his travel was cancelled due to weather. | ||
| Biographies: Leon E. Panetta Related Sites: 9/11 Memorial | ||
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