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Last week, the Regional District of Central Kootenay awarded a contract for new office furniture to Graphic Office Interior Ltd., which is based in Vancouver Island, for $182,000. The agreement has come under fire since local company Cowan Office Supply of Nelson made a bid that was around $20,000 cheaper. But chief administrator Brian Carruthers has defended the RDCK’s decision. Primarily, he cited the warranties and specifications that the two competing companies were offering. According to Carruthers, Graphic Office Interior offered a 12-year warranty on fabric panels while Cowan’s was just 5 years and did not include shipping and labor. In addition, Cowan’s proposed workstation dividing panels were not tall enough. “It was determined that 54-inch panel height was desired and that...

Construction is one of the 10 most dangerous professions, according to Forbes magazine, causing more than 200 fatalities and several more injuries in 2012 alone. The heavy equipment involved in lifting and transporting materials, as well as the high altitudes many construction workers face, contribute to the concerns about this industry's safety. This has forced many construction companies to enhance their accident prevention measures in an effort to keep their workers as safe as possible. The Crane Institute of America recently responded to this call to safety with its 10th edition of Mobile Cranes, written to help crane operators utilize these machines safely and effectively. The book outlines all crane operating procedures from setup, to operation guidelines, to potential hazards. Th...

The number of work-related injury cases in 2014's first quarter are on a down-slide in both China and Malaysia. According to China's State Administration of Work Safety, the amount of workplace accidents are down by 38.9% compared to last year. In Malaysia, work-related injuries have declined from 63,423 cases in 2002 to 33,060 occurring cases last year, which is a difference of more than 50% over the decade long period. A total of 153 people suffered fatal work-related accidents during China's first quarter, which is a 42.9% decrease from last year's first quarter. What's more, the death toll from accidents in coal mines between January and March decreased by 37.9% in comparison with last year's first quarter. According to China's administration, a serious workplace accident are inc...

Oscar Pistorius' defense and supposed version of events are becoming increasingly far-fetched. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel pointed out several discrepancies in the defense's testimony, calling the credibility of expert witness and former policeman Roger Dixon into question. Dixon refuted Pistorius' claims about the location of a magazine rack. "The question is important in part because Pistorius contends that police contaminated the crime scene by moving certain key items, including the magazine rack," CNN explains.Even after Dixon contradicted Pistorius, he stuck to his guns. "If Mr. Pistorius' version is different, that is his version," Dixon said in court. The interaction is at least the second strike against Dixon -- or, at the very least, against his value as a defense witness. "Mr. Nel has...

Long afternoons in classrooms are even tougher for kids when the temperature rises. It can be hard enough for kids to focus and stay productive in the classroom when they are comfortable. But now, in order to make sure heat never slows kids down, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has ordered Chicago Public Schools to begin installing air conditioners in every classroom by this summer. Over the course of the next five years, according to a spokesperson from the mayor’s office, all of the more than 200 schools that do not have air conditioning in every classroom will. Though it is unclear exactly how much the project will cost as of now, it will be paid for through the CPS capital budget. Currently, 324 of more than 500 schools in the CPS system have full air conditioning. Of the 206 that do not, 162...

While the millions of One Direction fans around the world were likely ecstatic to watch the group's latest music video upon its April 18 release, one Australian video production company was less than pleased. Oh Yeah Wow, the production company in question, has accused the British boy band of plagiarizing in its video for "You And I,"according to an April 24 NME article. Oh Yeah Wow claims that One Direction and "You And I" director Ben Winston "regurgitated" a video the company had shot for Clubfeet's song "Everything You Wanted" in January 2013. According to Oh Yeah Wow, the third act of the "You And I" video, in which the band members jump into freeze-frame shots of themselves, directly copies the Clubfeet video. On its blog, Oh Yeah Wow expresses anger that "some affluent y...

A couple in Kansas were left shaken Sunday after a man claiming to be from Protection One security services showed up at their home and asked to come inside. Kelly Billups and her live-in boyfriend said that the man arrived in sweatpants, sweatshirt, and jeans, but he did carry a folder and a badge. The story the fraudster spun to the couple was one of service. Apparently, when asked what he needed to do at the house, the man explained that Protection One, his fictional security company, was taking over for Vivint, the company that had just installed a complete security system for Billups and her boyfriend a few days prior. He wanted to come inside the house and for the couple to sign some kind of agreement. Luckily, the couple knew enough to push the issue, calling the police and sendi...

In the endless debate about private versus public schools, a recent report released by Oxford Economics points toward greater overall public benefit when students graduate from private schools. The study shows that Britain's private school graduates hold 275,000 jobs in the U.K., and generate more than $7 billion in national tax revenue. This benefit of private schooling is also upheld by parent opinions further west, where a Gallop poll shows that 78% of Americans feel that private schools provide a superior education. Private schools topped the preference list, followed by parochial schools, charter schools, and home schooling respectively. Public schools ranked the lowest, garnering only 38% of the vote. “Private schools will always provide a higher level of education, as clas...

The second Master Title of Bubba Watson was nothing as compared to the green jacket he had won 2 years ago.  Actually, the daring shot Watson hit was supposed to be of no need.  The sweetest thing of 18th Master Tournament was that Bubba Watson was holding his son while shaking hands with the spectators. After winning this Masters tournaments, Watson joined the elusive group. Actually, elusive group is for those players who win the Masters tournament for more than once. In finals, Watson turned two-shot deficit into a two-shot lead on the final two holes and put everyone at a safe distance. For beating a pair of Masters Rookies in Spieth and Jonas Blixt of Sweden, Watson closed the tournament with a 3-under 69. It goes without saying that two years ago when Watson hit the wild hook o...