The Guardian
New medical rules may have saved Muambas life
The rapid on-pitch medical response which may have saved Fabrice Muambas life was the result of changes made to FA and Premier League medical requirements in 2007,following critical injuries to two goalkeepers,says the Guardian report. Muamba,the Congo-born former England Under-21 international,had collapsed on the pitch while playing for his club Bolton Wanderers. The new rules make it mandatory for clubs to have an ambulance at the stadium for players and officials. The report adds,Other regulations made it compulsory for clubs to provide two paramedic stretcher-bearers,with a club doctor and physiotherapists on the team benches,as well as a qualified crowd doctor on standby.
Der Spiegel
New currency for debt-hit city?
Simon Broll writes,All around Europe,governments are cutting back on spending in reaction to the euro crisis. But in one small city in Germany,locals are bucking the trend. Fed up with austerity,they are planning to spend more,not less,moneyand they are making it themselves. He is referring to Oberhausen,the city famous for Paul the psychic octopus,whose future looks uncertain with debts of over $2.4 billion. Their new currency is called kohle,which means coal and is a slang for money,a reference to the citys location in Germanys mining heartland. Most goods and services on offer cost five coals and residents earn 20 coals for every act that benefits the community.
CNN.com
How al-Assad fooled the world
It has been one year since the start of the revolution in Syria and the pro-regime forces have killed at least 8,000 people,according to the UN,and Frida Ghitis reports that it has sent the rest of the world a quiet but blunt message: You are fools. Fools because much of the world fell for,and even participated in,al-Assads manipulative,decade-long game in which he portrayed himself as a moderniser and reformer. The article speaks about several of Assads emails,obtained by The Guardian and verified by correspondents involved,which openly mock democracy and reforms. One such email reads: (When his wife tells him shell come home early one day) This is the best reform any country can have that u told me where will you be,we are going to adopt it instead of the rubbish laws of parties,elections,media…
Venture Beat
Homeless as WiFi hotspots
The American tech community waved an angry fist at marketing firm BBH Labs for a project that temporarily turned the city of Austin,Texas homeless population into mobile 4G hotspots during the South by Southwest (SxSW) Interactive event. Thirteen volunteers from a homeless shelter were outfitted with a mobile wireless hotspot and a T-shirt that read: Im (name),a 4G Hotspot. Event attendees were encouraged to donate money if they gained access to the network. Tom Cheredar writes,When I first heard about this practice I was a bit mortified. The idea of turning homeless people into wireless hotspots seemed far too similar to a dancing monkey performing at a royal party for the amusement of the guests. But having explored the official site for the Homeless Hotspots Project,I have a much different opinion. The only person that stands to benefit from this project is the homeless people.