| Probes into lecturer's indecent assault bid complete
Two official investigations into a former senior childcare lecturer convicted of attempted indecent assault have been completed, it emerged tonight.The gardaí have sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions after its inquiry into Athlone Institute of Technology ex-lecturer Dr Niall McElwee.Separately, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said it is considering whether to publish its own probe into the circumstances surrounding the case.Dr McElwee resigned from the third-level college last year over his prosecution in the Netherlands of attempted indecent assault on two young women in an Amsterdam hotel room.Children's Minister Brendan Smith ordered an independent review of the the case last July while the gardaí were investigating if Dr McElwee broke sex laws in the Republic.Individuals are obliged under the Sexual Offenders Act 2001 to inform authorities here of any prosecution abroad for an offence also deemed criminal in Ireland.A garda spokesman said: "The investigation is complete and the file is with the Director of Public Prosecutions."Separately, lawyers are to decide whether the HSE probe will be published after health chiefs receive the findings in the coming days.Independent management consultant Conal Devine - a former Director of Industrial Relations at the Irish Medical Organisation - was appointed to carry out the HSE inquiry last July.Child protection experts were to be brought in from outside the State to help Mr Devine with his investigation, it was announced at the time.The report is now understood to be concluded and will be handed to the Assistant National Director of Primary Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) services in the HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster Area before the end of the week.A HSE spokesman said its lawyers will study the findings before a decision is taken on whether or not to make them public."The HSE is committed to establishing the full facts of what information was available to the health services in relation to Dr McElwee," he said.A review inquiry team headed up by Mr Devine was charged with looking at concerns about child protection relating to the incident.It was expected to investigate:::Documents from State agencies, including the gardaí, government departments and Athlone IT relating to Dr McElwee and child protection issues.
FWV DISTILLED ANNOUNCES TWO NEW HIRES
RALEIGH, N.C. (January 10, 2008) FWV Distilled, the recently launched advertising, graphic design and eMERGING media agency formed in partnership between powerhouse PR firm French/West/Vaughan and creative hot shop Distill today announced two new hires. Stephanie Tyus joins FWV Distilled as senior account supervisor. In this role, Tyus will provide counsel and account service to clients including Advanced Energy, Alien Skin, Cornerstone Biopharma and the North Carolina Dental Society, to name a few. Tyus, a 15-year industry veteran, comes to FWV Distilled after serving as a senior account manager at The Bounce Agency in Greenville, S.C., where she specialized in tourism, hospitality and real estate marketing. She was also previously with an agency in Atlanta working on the Coca-Cola and Steelcase accounts.
Harper announces more rigorous product safety law
When poor countries get paid very little to manufacture products for other countries, they have very little reason to maintain high standards. It took a series of major problems to bring the Chinese problems to the forefront. Prior to that, exploding batteries, etc. were just filler items in the news. If we want a real, long term solution, we need to introduce a concept of commitment to community to corporate governance. Right now, penalties for breaking the law or violating regulations are just a cost of doing business. Directors have to be held personally responsible both in civil and criminal terms. .
Seniors fare better under Fair Tax scenario
Seniors receive retiree income with no federal tax liability under the Fair Tax. There is no real money in the Social Security Trust Fund, and it will be just a few years before benefits could be cut by Congress as in 1983 and 1994. The Supreme Court has ruled there are no guarantees on Social Security being funded at current levels, let alone continuing. Moving from a wage base to a consumption base to fund Social Security provides twice as large a base to draw from, thereby stabilizing Social Security. The writer should do the math again, taking all of this into account. He will find out that seniors will be better off under the Fair Tax than the current tax system. As for me, I have never even thought to do the math. I prefer to concentrate on the benefits for America under the Fair Tax that will be realized by my 4-year-old nephew, as well as others in future generations.
Sports Columnists
All the entries posted in January. Categories Auto Racing Braves / MLB Falcons / NFL Final Four Furman Bisher Golf Hawks / NBA High School Jeff Schultz Mark Bradley Masters Other Quick Hit Sports Person of the Year Tech / ACC Terence Moore Thrashers / NHL UGA / SEC .
BMA Elects New Directors, Expands Board to Fulfill Strategic Plan
CHICAGO, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The membership of the Business Marketing Association (BMA) has elected a slate of nine directors to lead the organization for 2006-2007. In addition, 29 appointed vice presidents have been named to the board of directors to assist with key initiatives that are part of BMA's strategic plan. "The expansion of BMA's board is one of the key elements in creating a strong organization that represents all aspects of the vital B-to-B marketplace," said John Favalo, CBC, chairman of BMA and Managing Partner at Eric Mower & Associates, Group B2B. "We have assembled a leadership team that includes marketing experts from a broad range of well-known organizations, including Kodak, GE Equipment Services, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, several universities and Crain Communications.
Cuba second from last, just ahead of North Korea
The Israeli army's repeated abuses against journalists in the occupied territories and the US army's responsibility in the death of several reporters during the war in Iraq constitute unacceptable behaviour by two nations that never stop stressing their commitment to freedom of expression. General deterioration in the Arab world The war in Iraq played a major role in an increased crackdown on the press by the Arab regimes. Concerned about maintaining their image and facing public opinion largely opposed to the war, they stepped up control of the press and increased pressure on journalists, who are forced to use self-censorship. Kuwait (102nd) replaced Lebanon (106th) as the Arab world's leader as regards respect for freedom of expression because of cases of censorship in Lebanon, together with abusive judicial proceedings and an attack on the television station Futur TV.
Still looking for GOP's Mr. Right on economy
Which leading GOP candidate represents fiscal accountability and limited government? Who will take the side of responsible homeowners and responsible borrowers livid at bipartisan bailout plans for a minority of Americans who bought more house than they should have and took out unwise mortgages they knew they couldn't repay? I don't want to hear Republicans recycling the Blame Predatory Lenders rhetoric of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Jesse Jackson. Borrowers are not all saints. There's nothing compassionate about taking money from prudent, frugal families and using it to aid their reckless neighbors and co-workers who moved into McMansions they couldn't afford or went crazy tapping their home equity and now find themselves underwater. .
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