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Talk:Israel seen moving into Gaza again

This is not ready for publishing, even the date template is missing. --Brian McNeil / talk 22:16, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Why is it not read for publishing? ~andimahony
 * Well the above was one reason. Another being that Israel pulled out shortly after they did what they needed to do. And further sources say that this was not a response to the bombing that killed an IDF soldier: "What the IDF did today was not a response but a preliminary action" - Ehud Olmert. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 01:18, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Ok, you can delete the article I dont think anybody is going to update it. Just to let you know Haaretz is not a good source itself is run by the Israel goverment. Press TV and Aljazeera English are good sources but thats just my opinion. ~andimahony
 * Its a lot better than a lot of other sources. And so far, I have yet to come across a story from Haaretz that was considered inaccurate. If a new agency prints something, we cannot automatically assume its not true, or its propaganda because people don't like the fact it's an Israeli website. I watch the war on Ramattan news feed, which was most of the time put online by Israeli TV stations. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 13:46, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * The bbc source seems to imply all this as confirmed, where this story seems to imply everything is from reports from Gaza citizens and other second hand sources. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:45, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:Israel seen moving into Gaza again


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User:Joowwww

Go to w:User:Joowwww

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User:Joowwww


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Comments:SLM shareholders led by Martin Garbus sue Spider-Man creator Stan Lee and Marvel for $750m

THE LAWSUIT IS A HUNK OF GARBAGE SLMI SHAREHOLDERS MUST HAVE AN IQ OF -2,226.

'hmm the article makes it sound like Avi Arad is Lee's wife "....characters, and Lee's wife and former Marvel Studios head, Avi Arad."


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Category:Cornwall

de:Kategorie:Cornwall it:Categoria:Cornovaglia

title: Category:Cornwall


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Belgium's Queen Fabiola seriously ill

January 27, 2009 Queen Fabiola of Belgium, widow of King Baudouin, is reported to be seriously ill in St John's hospital, Brussels, suffering from pneumonia. The Queen was admitted to hospital on January 16, having been treated earlier in January for a thyroid problem.

Last week, Flemish state television VRT had to apologise after their website mistakenly published a pre-written obituary of the late King's consort. Obituaries for important people are commonly pre-written by newspapers and news sites, with newspapers often writing them years in advance.

The Belgian press have hotly debated the apparent fact that her earlier thyroid operation was conducted under hypnosis.

Queen Fabiola, now 80 years old, was born in Spain and met Baudouin in the 1950s when she was a nurse. They married in 1960 and remained together until his death in 1993. They had no children and Baudouin was succeeded by his brother Albert.

title: Belgium's Queen Fabiola seriously ill


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Russian Orthodox Church elects first new patriarch of post-Soviet era

January 28, 2009

In its first such election since 1990, leaders have overwhelmingly chosen  of  and  as its 16th.

The 62-year-old Kirill, born Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, will succeed the recently deceased as Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Alexy II, who is often credited with reviving the Church after the fall of in Russia, was elected Patriarch a year before the  dissolved, making this Russia's first patriarchal election of the post-Soviet era. A secret ballot of the Church Council was held at the in Moscow, where 711 bishops, priests, and other clergy from 64 countries convened to elect the new leader of the world's second largest church. Kirill received 508 of the votes, while his more conservative opponent, of  and, received 169 votes.

Kirill had served as locum tenens, or interim patriarch, following Alexy's death on December 5. Until being enthroned next Sunday, he will retain the title — the second most senior position in Church hierarchy.

The Patriarch-elect is seen by some analysts as a "modernizer" who might be able to improve perpetually strained relations with the. While Alexy II had repeatedly denied the late 's requests to visit Russia, Kirill had already met with his Catholic counterpart, Pope Benedict XVI, in December 2007.

Shortly before the election, Kirill had expressed a need to work with other Christian denominations in order to oppose "the marginalization of religion" and to "defend the underlying meaning of morality". However, this call for unity was tempered with a call to resist Catholic activity on Russian territory, and to "quickly and decisively react to threats" where necessary.

"A meeting between the Patriarch and the Pope will become possible only when there are conclusive signs of real and positive progress on issues which for a long time have been problematic for our relations," Kirill said Monday in a newspaper interview. These issues include accusations of missionary activity and disputes over church property and influence in Ukraine.

While some analysts see Kirill as a politically-minded figure who may try to seek more independence for the Church under the Russian government, others say this is unlikely. "As it is, the Moscow Patriarchate never criticises the Kremlin over its internal or external policies, said Canon Michael Bordeaux, head of the Keston Institute. "In the Orthodox tradition, which goes back 500 years, the state and the Church work together."

The officially declares a, but ties between the Orthodox Church and the government have strengthened since Vladimir Putin's election as President in 2000. Alexey was a strong supporter of Putin's government, but Kirill's stance is less known.

A short list of three candidates for the election had been chosen by the Archbishops' Council on Sunday. of, the first Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus, had withdrawn his name from consideration and endorsed Kirill before Tuesday's final vote.


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British government launches car industry aid package

January 28, 2009

The British government has announced a £2.3 billion package of aid to attempt to support the country's car manufacturing industry. Lord Peter Mandelson, the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform announced to the House of Lords that the government planned to obtain £1.3 billion from the European Investment Bank for the industry. A further £1 billion loan is available if the industry agrees to invest it in environmentally friendly vehicles.

Mandleson told the Lords that the industry is vital to the British economy, which with "near one million employees from manufacturing to retailing" provides "£10 billion worth of added value to the economy." However, he stressed that the government was not providing a "blank cheque" and would not provide operating subsidies.

His newly-appointed shadow Kenneth Clarke told the House of Commons that the plans were "pretty small beer" and repeated the Conservative charge that the government was "dithering" in the face of the downturn. Liberal Democrat John Thurso also expressed disappointment in the plans.


text: Talk:Anger and unrest continue over US raid in Laghman, Afghanistan


text: Talk:Belgium's Queen Fabiola seriously ill


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Talk:Former Indian President R. Venkataraman dies age 98

Use the sources
This article seems to be written more from Wikipedia's R. Venkataraman page rather than from the sources. --SVTCobra 00:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The article has been re-written using the sources with some non-relating infomation removed. Chandlerjoeyross (talk) 13:56, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Review
Reviewing because of time.


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Comments:Anger and unrest continue over US raid in Laghman, Afghanistan

This is change
Yeahhh change!!! Soapy (talk) 00:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


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Talk:British government launches car industry aid package

Review revision 758596
Oops. Sorry. 'Twas an oversight that I didn't publish right away. --SVTCobra 13:43, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * No prolem. I reviewed it and was going to paste the template. I didn't see your review until I was doing that. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 13:50, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text: Talk:Russian Orthodox Church elects first new patriarch of post-Soviet era


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Talk:US novelist John Updike dies age 76

Quote boxes
Quotes in QuoteLeft and QuoteRight, have to be part of the article. The boxes are there to highlight material in the article. In this case they were not used in this manner. I preserve them here in case the article is expanded.

Cheers, --SVTCobra 01:49, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text: Talk:BBC announces pay freeze and no bonuses for managers


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New BBC Radio 2 boss announced

January 28, 2009

The BBC have announced the appointment of Bob Shennan as controller for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. Shennan was previously controller at news and sports station BBC Radio Five Live and head of Channel 4's abortive 4 Digital Group radio venture. Channel 4 had won a licence to launch three digital radio stations but dropped the plans at an advanced stage in the face of the economic downturn.

At Five Live Shennan increased listening figures to 7 million. Critics claimed that this was achieved through the introduction of phone-in shows and a decline in coverage of harder news. He also launched the part-time digital-only station BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra.

The BBC's director of Audio and Music told The Stage that Shennan is "an outstanding leader with extensive radio experience and a proven track record in station management". He said that "Bob's energy, enthusiasm and passion for Radio 2 will ensure that the station remains creative and vibrant, and continues to offer unique programmes to the widest possible audience".

Radio 2 is Britain's most popular radio station with 13.06 million listeners and a 16% share. 6 Music is the network's digital-only sister station. The post of controller became vacant last year when Lesley Douglas resigned following the scandal over crude phone calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to actor Andrew Sachs during a pre-recorded music programme.

title: New BBC Radio 2 boss announced


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User talk:Seraphita~enwikinews

Welcome
Welcome to Wikinews! Redvers (talk) 10:55, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Seraphita. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Seraphita~enwikinews that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 23:29, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 06:36, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Seraphita~enwikinews


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Dairy cattle with names produce more milk, according to new study

January 29, 2009 Giving a cow a name and treating her as an individual with "more personal touch" can increase milk production, so says a scientific research published in the online "Anthrozoos," which is described as a "multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals".

The Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development's (of the Newcastle University Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering) researchers have found that farmers who named their dairy cattle Ermintrude, Daisy, La vache qui rit, Buttercup, Betsy, or Gertrude, improved their overall milk yield by almost 500 pints (284 liters) annually. It means therefore, an average-sized dairy farm's production increases by an extra 6,800 gallons a year.

"Just as people respond better to the personal touch, cows also feel happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one-to-one attention," said Dr Catherine Douglas, lead researcher of the university's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. "By placing more importance on the individual, such as calling a cow by her name or interacting with the animal more as it grows up, we can not only improve the animal's welfare and her perception of humans, but also increase milk production," she added.

Drs Douglas and Peter Rowlinson have submitted the paper's conclusion: "What our study shows is what many good, caring farmers have long since believed. Our data suggests that, on the whole, UK dairy farmers regard their cows as intelligent beings capable of experiencing a range of emotions." The scientific paper also finds that "if cows are slightly fearful of humans, they could produce [the hormone] cortisol, which suppresses milk production," Douglas noted. "Farmers who have named their cows, probably have a better relationship with them. They're less fearful, more relaxed and less stressed, so that could have an effect on milk yield," she added.

South Norfolk goldtop-milk producer Su Mahon, one of the country's top breeder of Jersey dairy herds, agreed with Newcastle's findings. "We treat all our cows like one of the family and maybe that's why we produce more milk," said Mrs Mahon. “The Jersey has got a mind of its own and is very intelligent. We had a cow called Florence who opened all the gates and we had to get the welder to put catches on to stop her. One of our customers asked me the other day: 'Do your cows really know their names?' I said: I really haven't a clue. We always call them by their names - Florence or whatever. But whether they really do, goodness knows,” she added.

The researchers' comparative study of production from the country's National Milk Records reveals that "dairy farmers who reported calling their cows by name got 2,105 gallons (7,938 liters) out of their cows, compared with 2,029 gallons (7,680 liters) per 10-month lactation cycle, and regardless of the farm size or how much the cows were fed. (Some 46 percent of the farmers named their cows.)"

The Newcastle University team which has interviewed 516 UK dairy farmers, has discovered that almost half - 48% - called the cows by name, thereby cutting stress levels and reported a higher milk yield, than the 54% that did not give their cattle names and treated as just one of a herd. The study also reveals cows were made more docile while being milked.

"We love our cows here at Eachwick, and every one of them has a name," said Dennis Gibb, with his brother Richard who co-owns Eachwick Red House Farm outside of Newcastle. "Collectively, we refer to them as 'our ladies,' but we know every one of them and each one has her own personality. They aren't just our livelihood, they're part of the family," Gibb explained.

"My brother-in-law Bobby milks the cows and nearly all of them have their own name, which is quite something when there are about 200 of them. He would be quite happy to talk about every one of them. I think this research is great but I am not at all surprised by it. When you are working with cows on a daily basis you do get to know them individually and give then names." Jackie Maxwell noted. Jackie and her husband Neill jointly operate the award-winning Doddington Dairy at Wooler, Doddington, Northumberland, which makes organic ice cream and cheeses with milk from its own Friesian cows.

But Marcia Endres, a University of Minnesota associate professor of dairy science, has criticized the Newcastle finding. "Individual care is important and could make a difference in health and productivity. But I would not necessarily say that just giving cows a name would be a foolproof indicator of better care," she noted. According to a 2007 The Scientist article, named or otherwise, dairy cattle make six times more milk today than they did in the 1990s. "One reason is growth hormone that many U.S. farmers now inject their cows with to increase their milk output; another is milking practices that extend farther into cows' pregnancies, according to the article; selective breeding also makes for lots of lactation," it states.

Critics claimed the research was flawed and confused a correlation with causation. "Basically they asked farmers how to get more milk and whatever half the farmers said was the conclusion," said Hank Campbell, author of Scientific Blogging. In 1996, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provided for a complex new cattle passport system where farmers were issued with passport identities. The first calf born under the new regime were given names like "UK121216100001."

Dr Douglas, however, counters that England doesn’t permit dairy cattle to be injected hormones. The European Union and Canada have banned recombinant bovine growth hormone (rGBH), which increases mastitis infection, requiring antibiotics treatment of infected animals. According to the Center for Food Safety, rGBH-treated cows also have higher levels of the hormone insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), which may be associated with cancer.

In August 2008, Live Science published a study which revealed that cows have strange sixth sense of magnetic direction and are not as prone to cow-tipping. It cited a study of Google Earth satellite images which shows that "herds of cattle tend to face in the north-south direction of Earth's magnetic lines while grazing or resting."

Newcastle University is a research intensive university in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the "University of Newcastle upon Tyne" by an Act of Parliament in August 1963.

The School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is a school of the Newcastle University Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, a faculty of Newcastle University. It was established in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne as the College of Physical Science in 1871 for the teaching of physical sciences, and was part of Durham University. It existed until 1937 when it joined the College of Medicine to form King's College, Durham.


text:
User talk:Duane DePayne

Blocked
You have been blocked indefinitely from editing Wikinews for vandalism. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 11:51, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Duane DePayne


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Talk:Dairy cattle with names produce more milk, according to new study

I CREATED this wacky but scientific dairy article. Please help in publishing it. If sorcery is used in cows, what will happen, it must be studied. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 11:52, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Other sources
 Cows with Names Make More Milk  Pull the udder one? Calling cows names 'makes them produce more milk' Of course farmers name their cows! Just not after their wives Oh, Bessie! Name your cow, get more milk--Florentino Floro (talk) 14:23, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Misleading...
It doesn't seem that the study claims to have established the naming of a cow as a *cause* of higher milk production, but simply a *correlation* between more milk and names. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation

Although this may raise some very interesting questions about links between animal health and psychological states, it frankly doesn't seem very scientific.


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GLAAD Media Awards nominees announced

January 28, 2009

Campaign group Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced the nominees for this year's GLAAD Media Awards. The awards are for films and television programs that present a "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community".

Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk, starring Sean Penn as the gay title character Harvey Milk, is nominated in the film category along with Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Julian Jarrold's version of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Guy Richie's RocknRolla and Peter Sollett's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

British Doctor Who spin off Torchwood joins American series such as Brothers and Sisters, The L Word and True Blood in the television drama category while Channel 4's Skins is nominated for best comedy with ABC's Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty amongst others.

Special awards are to be given to Tyra Banks, Suze Orman and Lucia Mendez as well as Sirius XM Radio's documentary The Laramie Project, 10 Years Later: The Lasting Legacy of Matthew Shepard. Macy's, Absolut Vodka and IKEA are nominated for positive advertisements and The Denver Post and The Des Moines Register are amongst the nominated newspapers.

The GLAAD Media Awards have been presented annually since 1990.

title: GLAAD Media Awards nominees announced


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Template:LGBT

An infobox for and its news. ''Are newer articles not showing? Refresh''

Customize this infobox .

es:Plantilla:LGBT

title: Template:LGBT


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93-year-old Michigan man freezes to death after electric company limits his power usage

January 28, 2009

Marvin Schur, a 93-year-old man from Bay City, Michigan has died after the electric company limited his electric use due to his failure to pay over US$1,000 in past-due payments.

Bay City Electric Light & Power installed a power-limiting device on his home on January 13. The device would limit the amount of power the resident uses and would essentially shut it off if that limit is reached, or if the resident fails to pay the outstanding bill within 10 days of installation. In order for the electricity to be turned back on, the limiter must be reset by pushing a button.

Bay City power says that a warning, indicating that the power was to be turned off and a limiter installed, had been placed on Schur's front door. Despite that, the company says that they are now "looking at our website and possibly doing an automated phone message. We obviously need to get the word out."

The autopsy performed on Schur's body concluded that he had died "a slow, painful death" caused by hypothermia. Dr. Kanu Virani, who performed the autopsy, explained: "Hypothermia shuts the whole system down, slowly. It's not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they're burning."

It was less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Centigrade) in Schur's home when neighbors found Schur dead on January 17. Virani commented that it was his first time performing an autopsy on a body in which "the person froze to death indoors."

"His furnace was not running - the insides of his windows were full of ice the morning we found him," said George A. Pauwels Jr., who was with his wife when they found Schur's body.

In Michigan it is illegal for a utility company to disconnect power to any home between November 1 and March 31 when a resident is over the age of 65. Limiters are also not supposed to be used during that time frame. However, municipally-owned electric utilities like the one in Bay City, are not regulated by the state. The Michigan state attorney general's office has launched an investigation into the incident.

Residents around Schur's home say he was hard of hearing, and the city states that the device's function and operation were never explained to him. When word of the story got around, people from all over the United States began to call the city in anger.

"I've taken calls from Canada, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Alabama - and that's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head," said Melody Roth of the city's administrative office, who also added that people from all over are "calling all city departments, not just our office."

Schur has no known children, and his wife had died several years prior to the incident.


text: Talk:GLAAD Media Awards nominees announced


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Red Cross urges Sri Lanka to respect lives of Tamil civilians

January 29, 2009

The (ICRC) and other agencies have raised the issue of a  unfolding in the battle between Sri Lankan government troops and the  (LTTE), with an estimated 250,000 civilians caught between the fighting according to the ICRC. Violence has intensified over the past few days in the -dominated northwest, where government forces have made strategically important gains, including the capture of, the last rebel stronghold. But hundreds of thousands of civilians, nearly all Tamils, remain trapped within a 300 square kilometer war zone.

The ICRC, the only aid agency with a permanent presence in the war zone, says 250,000 people are trapped in the fighting, a figure that was repeated by the United Nations. The ICRC also claims that hundreds of civilians in the area have been killed or wounded, though an exact number was not given.

Sri Lankan officials say these figures are too high, though they have acknowledged the existence of some civilian casualties. In an effort to help civilians seek shelter, the government has unilaterally established a 32-square-km "no-fire zone" in the middle of the war area. The army dropped pamphlets urging civilians to go there for safety.

However, the LTTE have accused the Sri Lankan military of firing artillery shells into the safe zone, while the government denies such accusations. Likewise, the LTTE have denied the claim that they are using civilians as by forcing them to stay in the area while holding them at gunpoint. The LTTE have yet to answer the military's accusation that they deliberately placed their heavy weapons near populated areas and hospitals.

In response to accusations of firing at civilians, President pledged that his military would respect the boundaries of the no-fire zone. In a late-night meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister, the president assured his forces would "minimize the effects of conflict on Tamil civilians." Mukherjee has pledged to send aid materials into northern Sri Lanka. However, some Indian media sources suspect this is a political move aimed at gaining favor with the, a Tamil party in the southern Indian state of. Meanwhile, the fate of civilians in the war zone remains uncertain, as the violence has prevented most foreign media and international agencies from entering the area. The ICRC has called on both sides to respect the lives of civilians. "People are being caught in the crossfire, hospitals and ambulances have been hit by shelling and several aid workers were injured while evacuating the wounded," said Jacques de Maio, the head of operations for the ICRC in South Asia.

The ICRC says hundreds of patients are in need of emergency medical treatment. However, the UN says the LTTE have fired at their convoys and refused to allow evacuations to the nearest hospital, while the military had resumed firing during an attempted evacuation. The UN condemned this as a violation of international humanitarian law, which requires a guarantee of safe passage for aid workers on both sides.

"It's an incredibly serious situation," said James Elder, a U.N. spokesman. "We have a very large number of people, including tens of thousands of children, trapped in a fast-shrinking conflict zone." ICRC spokeswoman Sarasi Wijeratne did not explicitly accuse the LTTE of firing on their convoy, simply stating that the convoy had not been given full security assurances.

Sri Lankan military officials say the rebels are nearly defeated, with only about 30 kilometers of seafront remaining under their control. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara claims the LTTE have 1,200 well-trained cadres left, while the Sri Lankan army has around 50,000 troops deployed.


text: Talk:New BBC Radio 2 boss announced

title: Talk:New BBC Radio 2 boss announced


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Talk:93-year-old Michigan man freezes to death after electric company limits his power usage

Contradiction
I haven't read the sources, but there seems to be a contradiction in a municipality having a law that appears to ban limiters in winter, and not mentioning that law in its press statement. To help readers (like me) who get very emotional when they read something like this: could you delve a little deeper, please, or otherwise address the contradiction? I don't think the article mentions that the power company is owned by the city government which would be a good start.

(by the way - thanks for explaining limiters clearly - I had never heard of them)

--InfantGorilla (talk) 13:41, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Apparently the ban is not imposed by the municipality, but by the state; however, the state ban doesn't apply to municipally owned utilities like Bay City, which aren't state-regulated. I added a source clarifying this. ~Planoneck~ 16:50, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Phew!!! Falling in the cracks between a bureaucracy and a loophole. What a way to go! --InfantGorilla (talk) 20:11, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


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Scottish politician to face perjury trial

January 28, 2009 Former member of the Scottish (MSP) Tommy Sheridan and his wife are to be tried for.

The charges stem from Tommy and Gail Sheridan's successful 200,000 against British tabloid newspaper  in 2006, during which the judge said that conflicting evidence meant some witnesses were perjuring themselves. This led to an investigation by. The newspaper had accused Tommy Sheridan of having an affair.

Sheridan established the Scottish Socialist Alliance in 1996, which became the and stood in the 1999 elections to the newly re-established Scottish Parliament. Sheridan was elected as MSP for Glasgow. He was re-elected in 2003 but the party split in 2006 — with some members giving evidence against Sheridan in his court case — and Sheridan and another MSP, Rosemary Byrne, formed a new party,. However, this party — and the remaining Scottish Socialists — lost all their seats in the 2007 election.

After leaving Holyrood, Sheridan hosted a chat show at the Edinburgh fringe and had a talk radio show before joining the latest series of 's . He is now studying law at the.


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UK home shopping retailer Shop Direct group to cut 1,150 jobs

January 28, 2009

Shop Direct group, One of the United Kingdoms home shopping retailers are to cut 1,150 jobs as they shut down a call centre in Merseyside. The closure of the call centre was said to be part of the company’s transformation to an online-led business. 250 of the job loses are to be offered relocation within the company.

Currently 56% of Shop Directs business is in the form of online sales. They set for this to rise to 70% of sales within two years. Chief Executive of Shop Direct, Mark Newton Jones, said that Shop Direct is a strong and growing business and puts the cuts down to the way customers shop with the company.

"Our business is changing because the way our customers choose to shop with us is changing. We are a strong and growing business. In order to maintain this growth, we need to continue to adapt and change to the needs of our customers," said Jones in a statement.

Over the 2008 Christmas period group sales were up 9% and online sales were up by 44%. According to the Liverpool Echo several staff were in tears after hearing the news and some collapsed.

A 90 day consultation is under way.


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User talk:TonyO16

Welcome
Welcome to Wikinews! Redvers (talk) 15:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:TonyO16


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Iran's Ahmadinejad wants change in US policies, not 'tactics'

January 29, 2009

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the United States to substantially change its foreign policy toward Iran in an address aimed at the new Barack Obama administration.

In addition to urging a new direction in foreign policy, Ahmadinejad demanded that the US apologize for the "crimes they have committed against the Iranian nation" over the past 60 years. Ahmadinejad says these "dark crimes" include the economic sanctions imposed since the country's 1979 revolution, attempts to halt Iran's nuclear program, and America's support of Israel.

"Those who speak of change must apologize to the Iranian people and try to repair their past bad acts and the crimes they committed against Iran," the president said in the city of Kermanshah. The remarks were Ahmadinejad's first address to the US since Obama took office on January 20, though he did congratulate Obama after his election in November.

Ahmadinejad singled out the George W. Bush administration for its support of Israel and its expansion of US military presence around the world. He called for an end to "interfering in other people's affairs", which meant a withdrawal of all US troops. "If someone wants to talk with us in the language that Bush used," he said, "even if he uses new words, our response will be the same that we gave to Bush during the past years".

Though the Iranian president did not mention Obama by name, he did have a lot to say about his predecessor. "Mr. Bush has gone into the trash can of history with a very black and shameful file full of treachery and killings," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. "He left and, God willing, he will go to hell."

The remarks came a day after President Obama made a much-publicized appearance on Al Arabiya, an Arabic news channel. During the interview, Obama repeated a theme from his inauguration speech, saying "if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us". Diplomacy will be a very important tool in US relations with Iran, he clarified.

It is not clear if Ahmadinejad's speech was meant as a response to Obama's interview, but some of his remarks seemed to echo Obama's campaign theme of "change". Ahmadinejad said there are two types of change he could expect from Washington. "First is a fundamental and effective change," he said. "The second ... is a change of tactics." He said Iran would welcome change from the US, but only if it were "truly serious and basic".

Ahmadinejad offered his own definition of change. "Change means giving up support for the rootless, uncivilized, fabricated, murdering... Zionists and let the Palestinian nation decide its own destiny," he was quoted as saying. "Change means putting an end to U.S. military presence in the world." He said Iran will be "waiting patiently" and carefully studying the new administration's actions to see if such change takes place.

Obama campaigned on a promise to introduce diplomacy into US-Iranian relations, but it remains to be seen if either side will be willing to engage in diplomacy. Other US officials seemed to reflect a more conciliatory tone towards Iran than the previous administration. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that Iran has a "clear opportunity" to engage with the international community.

US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice pledged "direct" support to Iran only if it halts its controversial nuclear program, which Iran insists is for peaceful energy purposes.

Even if Ahmadinejad is willing to talk with the US, any decision on foreign relations will require the approval of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, who said in October that hatred of America runs deep in Iran. However, opposition politician Ebrahim Yazdi is somewhat optimistic regarding the prospect of diplomacy, believing better ties with the US are in Iran's economic and political interest. "The political atmosphere in Iran is now ripe, is suitable for direct negotiation with the United States," he said.


text: Talk:UK home shopping retailer Shop Direct group to cut 1,150 jobs


text:
Talk:British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough receives hate mail from creationists

Request for minor correction of punctuation
editprotected

Please correct the punctuation at the end of the following sentence, by changing the comma to a period (full stop):

"He said it was "terrible" when the two were taught as equal,"

Thanks. Wdchk (talk) 02:52, 11 June 2015 (UTC)
 * ✅ --Pi zero (talk) 02:58, 11 June 2015 (UTC)


text:
New Zealander discovers US military data on MP3 player

January 28, 2009

A man from New Zealand has found data belonging to the United States Armed Forces on a used MP3 player. Chris Ogle was shopping at a thrift store in Oklahoma when he bought the player for $9. Upon returning home to Whangarei and connecting it to his computer, he discovered files listing data about US soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Among the data is lists of Social Security numbers, as well as mission briefings and a list of pregnant soldiers. Most of the data is from 2005, and it does not appear its exposure will have a major impact on US national security. As with any major data breach, however, there is a chance for identity theft of the persons whose information is contained on the player. Ogle has stated he will return the files if he is asked to by US officials. Neither the US embassy in Wellington nor the military had any comment for reporters.

The US government has been hit by several high-profile data breaches and worm infections in the last few years. In 2006, investigators had to buy back USB flash drives — containing sensitive information — that had been stolen from a military base in Bagram. The United States Department of Defence banned flash drives in 2008 after malware infected computers there. Also in 2008, John McCain's presidential campaign accidentally sold a BlackBerry, which held sensitive data about the campaign, to a reporter.


text:
Comments:British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough receives hate mail from creationists

David Attenborough kicks ass!

People are watching
hate mail is good man that means people are waching --207.63.250.11 18:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Sir David has been on the air for over 50 years and, in no small part, I think he has been at the forefront of banishing the creation myth within the UK. If I understand correctly, both the Church of Scotland and the Church of England accept evolution as scientific fact. With programmes like Life on Earth as centrepieces of the BBC schedule there was not much they could do. All the evidence was presented in a compelling and highly accessible visual format. "It's a lie! God did it" is kinda a pathetic argument.
 * Yes! if it wasn't for him the population would know a lot less about the world around us --218.215.56.56 09:20, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Who are these people who send him hate mail? Have American evangelists parachuted a crack squad of Creationist ministers into the UK? Are they engaged in a plot to convince the populace to get satellite TV so they can watch Fox? Or are these menacing letters being sent internationally? If so, Gordon Brown should label the authors as terrorists. --Brian McNeil / talk 18:40, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Apparently, he doesn't understand the scientific definition (or variety of definitions) of the word "theory." If you use the pedagogical definition, you're really saying that it's been confirmed repeatedly. Wtachi (talk) 19:49, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Many naturalists - and many other people too - do indeed believe that evolution has been confirmed repeatedly. Redvers (talk) 19:52, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * In practicality, the scientific use of the word theory means "proven to be fact to within a shadow of a doubt". Saying "theory" is therefore exactly the same as saying "natural law". Which is why it really ticks me off that people say "Superstring Theory". It isn't a theory! It is a *model*! Gopher65talk 22:06, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Evolution proven? Man eats God?
Personally, I agree with Attenborough, and Darwin's Bulldog, evolution is proven. There are examples such as the industrialisation of the UK, and increased pollution, where moth species went from being white to black to avoid predators. As industry cleaned up, the moths changed back to white. Then viruses, they have been observed evolving under the microscope. Or the fossil record, all the evidence of intermediate species between man today and an ancient creature similar to modern apes. "God is in the gaps"? Nope, it is Dawkins' blind watchmaker.

The nonsense from the creationists is just, well, mind boggling. The Earth is only a few thousand years old? We've observed the birth of alien solar systems through the Hubble telescope. How far back in time we can see because of the speed of light makes a mockery of the assertion. Letting them stand with their fingers in their ears and their eyes tight shut going, "la la la! I can't hear you! God did it!" is not an option. If they were saying the tooth fairy was watching their every move and would judge them when they died, they'd get locked up.

RIP man in the sky, as a meme you've done some good, but also a hell of a lot of bad. --Brian McNeil / talk 11:32, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Sir David Attenborough is welcome to his views. His programmes over the years have been instructive and interesting. The BBC's Planet Earth series was exceptional. But despite his constant references to evolution having done this or that, they left more questions than answers. As for some, who probably claim to be Christians sending hate mail, this is terrible. I do not recognise this type of Christianity, certainly not from biblical teaching. Everyone is allowed their point of view, sadly not if you believe in creationism, but because creationists are subjected to reams of hate mail, insults and abuse, we rejoice to be considered worthy to be in such a position. We would never dream of returning like for like. It is a little ironic that the source of the complaints of hate mail to Sir David is also the same source that causes such hate mail to those who do not share their views. On behalf of all biblical Christians I would like to apologise to Sir David.
 * I would not advocate anyone sending hate mail. I am, however, with Dawkins on this; the creation myth is just that, a myth. Anyone adhering to it is deluding themselves in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence. Taking the bible literally, and as the word of God? That's the act of a fool as it is the work of human authors and editors; many of these people had an agenda and their own interests at heart.
 * Christianity? It's a 2000-odd year old protest movement claiming that a civil rights activist was nailed to a cross for suggesting people be nice to each other more often. --Brian McNeil / talk 14:29, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

 * I agree with every word of the above, including "and" and "the". Well said. Redvers (talk) 14:33, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Am I like, the only guy who sees Religion and Scinece mutually compatible? 164.116.47.180 (talk) 16:10, 21 January 2010 (UTC)


text:
Talk:New Zealander discovers US military data on MP3 player

Typo
editprotected "Presidental" => "Presidential" Van der Hoorn (talk) 14:49, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

 * ✅ ♪Tempo di Valse ♪ 17:54, 20 March 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Scottish politician to face perjury trial

Police snooping round bedrooms? It sounds like the 1950s have come back.

Police defending the freedom of the press by prosecuting those who seek to muzzle it? It sounds like I have woken up in a parallel universe.

--InfantGorilla (talk) 17:06, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * There are no good guys in this one. The News of the World are one of the trashiest gutter press publications in the UK; as a Murdoch mouthpiece they were rabidly pro-Thatcher. Sherridan was one of their nemesis, a fairly radical socialist who helped organise a non-payment campaign against the introduction of the poll tax in Scotland. The News of the World revealed that Sherridan had visited a swingers' club, and claimed he had engaged in extra-marital affairs. Where he got stupid was he sued them. With lots of witnesses on both sides, the judge said, "Hmmm, someone here is lying" and ordered the police to investigate. --Brian McNeil / talk 18:16, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

It is freaking hilarious that he perjured himself in a case that he filed by testifying in conflict with evidence that his own lawyers presented. Well, it won't be the first time this militant lefty sees the inside of a prison cell. --SVTCobra 18:47, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * How true. Apart from his Poll Tax non-payment he went on Celebrity Big Brother; that's just a posh prison where you're filmed 24 hours a day. Buuut, he was paid for it. --Brian McNeil / talk 18:52, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:GLAAD Media Awards nominees announced

Who do you think will win?
I'd be sure that Milk will win the film section, being the only film on a specifically gay subject. As a Brit, I'd like to see Torchwood get the nod (a series I enjoyed), but would settle for Skins (which I didn't). Redvers (talk) 17:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * second on Milk.--KDP3 (talk) 19:36, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * I'm personally hoping for Torchwood. We just don't get that many TV series with gay characters who are central to the plot, and Torchwood actually pulls it off well. 74.242.106.90 23:41, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Search and rescue beacons soon to make the digital jump

I'm not so sure I like the idea of complete discontinuation of monitoring the signals. Why not make the digital version mandatory? Then there will be few enough others that false positives won't be too much of a strain, whereas those idiots who wish to retain the poorer device will still have a chance. It isn't a case where we have no sympathy for damage caused if they didn't get the upgrade - it is the difference between life and death. Blood Red Sandman (Talk)   (Contribs) 18:16, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Sir Paul Stephenson to head London's police

January 29, 2009 The British government has announced the appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson to head London's Metropolitan Police Service.

Stephenson said his priorities as Commissioner would be knife crime and teenage murders. The Times quoted him as telling reporters that his agenda "is about solving crime, securing our streets, convincing all our communities that we are on their side and delivering the policing they want and being intolerant of violence in any form".

The vacancy at the Met arose when the then-new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, expressed a lack of confidence in Sir Ian Blair. While Johnson has no direct say in who acts as Commissioner, the lack of confidence made Blair's position untenable and he announced his resignation in October 2008 to take effect in December. The media has assumed there was a two-horse race to succeed Blair, between his deputy Stephenson and Northern Ireland's police chief Hugh Orde. Some elements of the media had assumed that Stephenson was out of the running following the arrest of Tory MP Damien Green as part of a leak enquiry. Stephenson had authorised the arrest.

Stephenson joined Lancashire police in 1975. He rose to become assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside police, then returned to Lancashire and became Chief Constable in 2002. He joined the Met as Deputy Commissioner in 2005 and has been filling the Commissioner's role since December of last year.


text:
Talk:Sir Paul Stephenson to head London's police

Note about source
My line Some elements of the media had assumed that Stephenson was out of the running following the arrest of Tory MP Damien Green as part of a leak enquiry is from this morning's BBC Radio 4 "Today Programme", which handily for them placed this as a third-party opinion, but less handily for us didn't name which elements. Although, to be fair, probably all the broadsheet newspapers have had columnists saying this. Redvers (talk) 18:24, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:93-year-old Michigan man freezes to death after electric company limits his power usage

Fingers crossed prosecutions come out of this. Blood Red Sandman (Talk)   (Contribs) 18:45, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * And that subsequent to that someone cuts the heating to the appropriate prison cells in the middle of winter. --Brian McNeil / talk 19:44, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Capitalism
The flavor you want, the flavor you need. Buy now or die!
 * He didn't choose to not buy electricity; if that were the case, I would either admire him for his audacity or pity him for his stupidity. But this was a mistake that just as easily could have happened if a socialist government was distributing the power. The real moral of this story is that birds who migrate south for the winter are smarter than humans who stay in Michigan. ~Planoneck~ 20:00, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Yeah... I bet the guy is now a lot smarter after reading that piece of your wisdom... Too bad he's a lollipop now.

 * Planoneck, I dunno how the comment was intended, but it holds weight as an attack on the energy company itself and its municipal owners rather than the system of government. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 21:40, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

The Bush Years
The prefect legacy for the Bush years. Getting his $$ was more important than the lives of voters.

Disgusting, greedy bastards.

Absurd.
Where does lie human dignity? That's a shame. RIP.

He was 93
I live in bay city Michigan and heard the story and it was just do terrible. I think that the state of Michigan or the electric company should be sued because the law is that they can not put a limiter on any one with low income or an elderly and they did not tell him how to reset the limiter or anything they just put it on so i think somebody should be held responsible.

What a bunch of bastards. I say the residents of that city should burn their building down, it's the least they deserve.

If
they told his veteran group. They would pay his bills. I am watching Fox news about this right now. So f*cking mess up.--66.229.21.217 11:55, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

This company should be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There's no doubt about it.
 * Heh, I think you mean 'prosecuted', not 'persecuted'. However, the latter does have its attractions.
 * As someone who considers himself fairly left-leaning - if not outright socialist - in his political views, this disgusts me. As an entity, the corporation (in general) is a psychopath, and this is a clear demonstration of such. Politicians, and those who stand to profit from their policies are currently arguing over issues such as universal broadband access; it is becoming a public utility, like electricity. From the perspective of the UK and Europe, I have to ask who were the dunderheads who sold these national assets to people who wanted to profit from them? In America, why wasn't this deemed an essential public service that could not be trusted to people seeking to profit? Both the Internet and generation of electricity became widespread due to the investment of government's money - money they got from taxpayers. Why were these assets ever privatised, or sold? Why should part of my phone, Internet, or electricity bill go to supporting someone lying on a beach in the Bahamas? I want that money spent on bringing fibre to the door globally - for the same price as I pay today. --Brian McNeil / talk 17:24, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I have news for you, the utilities in most, if not all, of Europe have been privatised. The difference is that in America they were never owned by the government in the first place. --SVTCobra 17:31, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Try reading again, I acknowledge what you're presenting as "news for me" in my post. I saw it happen as I grew up. Europe didn't recover after the second world war waiting around for a bunch of capitalists to make investments that would not pay off until their grandchildren were entering college, politicians spent taxpayers money on the investments and infrastructure, then about a generation later a bunch of short-sighted greedy politicians started listening to the siren song of people who could now see ways to make money from all this investment. The utilities were sold with no realistic accounting of the level of public investment. As an example, for British Gas the scam was "Tell Sid" a media blitzkrieg trying to convince people that everyone could profit from privatisation. What the treasury earned was a pathetic undervaluation, city speculators took home the rump of the profit. The 'fast cash' injection the government got has been spent, and everyone is still paying a percentage of their gas bill to the speculators. Sounds awful like a tax to support the rich. --Brian McNeil / talk 17:50, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Unless you are arguing that electricity should be free, I don't understand what government ownership would have done for 93-year-old man. Governments and their agencies have certainly made decisions that have killed their own citizens. --SVTCobra 17:54, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Free? Why not? When I was born in Scotland, water was 'free' - 'free' as in people's local taxes paid for its provision. Industrial users were charged based on usage, and property taxes aimed to offset larger premises using more of a common resource. With privatisation, there came a massive investment in putting meters in people's homes so they could be sent bills. Investment in fixing leaks and stopping waste came way back in the field. There was, after all, a huge shareholder dividend to be realised from acquiring this asset. Electricity is not much different. It is difficult to justify calling access to it a human right when so many parts of the world have poor or nonexistent access, but I maintain that food, water, shelter, energy, and education or knowledge are basic human needs that should be available regardless; there should be no profit in these essentials that is not ploughed back into making them more universally accessible and lower cost. --Brian McNeil / talk 18:45, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * But free to what extent? Do you propose quotas? I wouldn't what my tax payments to cover the excess electricity wasted by that family that covers their house in Christmas lights for a month. What you propose sounds a lot like communism. --SVTCobra 22:10, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

The axiom, "To each according to their needs" does not apply to a gaudy display of Christmas lights, nobody needs to decorate their house and illuminate it - and the wider community should not cover the costs of someone mounting such a display. But for the case this article discusses, money should never have been an issue. The installation of a limiting device as detailed here killed someone in a long, slow, lingering fashion. A crude and inhuman device decided what was "enough"; now someone is dead. Communism is not the answer, there are too many situations where it fails to take human nature into account. However, it serves as a far better canvas on which to try and illustrate how we need to live together. Capitalism is a mechanism whereby wealth and property is concentrated in the hands of the few. What better illustration is there than the oil and gas using electricity generators who have only passed on a fraction of their cost savings due to plummeting prices to consumers. --Brian McNeil / talk 00:16, 30 January 2009 (UTC)
 * "To each according to their needs" is where problems arise, in my opinion. Who gets to decide what those needs are? And regardless of who it is, it ends up being a quota. If the electricity provider where you live is not passing down their savings from declining oil prices, it is probably because they have a monopoly, state-owned or not. If there was some free market competition, prices would probably have come down. This article deals with an almost unique case, one that is under criminal investigation; it should not be viewed as evidence that capitalism doesn't work (far better examples exist, if that is the goal). --SVTCobra 00:53, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

All the talk about economics side steps the grim reality of the situation. A man is dead frozen to death inside his home. This happened. Greedy criminal electric company, yes. But the situation that exposed the man to die that way is something the electric company had no influence over. Society alone bears the blame there. The man wasn't given the care and living assistance he obviously needed. Human needs were ignored at cost of a life. A civilized society has to value and respect human needs above any imaginary numbers. 74.227.163.214 03:41, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Michigan man freezes to death
Whoever gave the order to cut the electricity off should be charged with murder.

I have went to prison twice in my life for petty stupid and ignorant stuff. Should there be a murder case(since this is michigan)??? I say the mans Family be the new owners of the power company? Maybe they would have more compassion for our failing economy and loss of true patrotism. Alma michigan.

capitalism kills
people over profit

not

profit over people!

ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES NEVER REST SENDING BRAVE TAXPAYERS TO FINAL RESTING PLACE
THESE ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES ARE SICK! MANY LOOK AT THE BANKS FOR FAILURES IN REGULATION CAUSING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND YET THE LOBBYIST FOR ENERGY KEEP YOUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES ACROSS AMERICA WHICH COUNTING FEES AND OTHER UNFAIR CREDIT TACTICS HAVE RISEN 50% TO A 100% NOT ONLY CHARGING MORE BUT POLLUTING FAR MORE THAN ALLOWED AND HAVE ADDED DIRECTLY TO ALL SECTORS RESIDENTIAL, BUSINESS, FACTORY, ETC. THESE ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES MUST BE STOPPED NOT HERE AND THERE BUT ACROSS AMERICA FREEDOM AND RIGHTS ARE RUN OVER BY ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES AND COMPETTITION IS BEING ABANDONED WHILE INNOVATION FOR WIND AND SOLAR SLIP INTO THE POCKETS OF THE MONOPOLIES WHO WILL HOLD IT DOWN AGAIN FOR DECADES UNTIL THE BREATH IS SUCKED OUT LIKE DROWNING TAXPAYERS. EMBARRASSING THIS COUNTRY INTO PAY TO PLAY AND THE VETERANS WHO DON'T FALL IN BATTLE FOR MORE ENERGY DIE AT HOME BECAUSE THE NON FOR PROFIT AND PROFIT ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES TAG TEAM THE TAXPAYER TO DEATH. 2009 AND YOU ARE STILL SICK NET METERING IS UNFAIRLY CORRUPTED AND INSTEAD OF SAVING COAL AS A BACKUP FOR AMERICA IT IS DAILY SOLD OVERSEAS TO A MARKET USA WILL HAVE TO BUY BACK FROM OR WAR WITH AGAIN OVER AND OVER. BE LESS DEPENDANT IS THE PROPAGANDA OF THE ELECTRIC MONOPOLIES BUT ONLY DEPENDANT ON THEM. HYPOCRATS WHY NOT ALLOW MORE SOLAR AND WIND NOW MR PRESIDENT AND KILL OF THE MONOPOLIES AND THE LACK OF NET METERING REGULATIONS?

elderly man dying
this is another example of corporate greed. i'm sick! soooo sick of the headlines as of late. i can't believe wallstreet and AIG had the audacity to hand out bonuses. politicians and lobbyist have been manipulating things to their own end. bush let corporations have free reign. look where their greed has taken us. this poor man dying is all due to greed. the almighty DOLLAR! i want to do something. right now! i need to physically do something to expell this anger that is erupting inside of me. the list goes on of corporations committing atrocities for the almighty buck. common america or "the little people" are deemed irrelevant. i want to show just how relevant we are. to fly the flag upside down is a sign of distress. it means come quick. we need help. i think every american in distress should hang a flag upside down. how many distress signals do you think we'd see accross america? LET'S DO IT!---Briarrose2 (talk) 07:50, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

ain't capitalism grand?

93 year old dies because power shut off in winter
i think this nov. 1 to march thirty first is wrong and i need someone to back me and help me i live in northern michigan i have seven kids and alpena power shut my power down over 173 dollars couldnt wait five days to get paid now they want 500 to turn back on i think the dates shuld be from november 1 to may 31 do to michigan weather today is april tenth 2013 it is freezing out and snowing thanks to whom ever reads this --75.133.24.118 (talk) 13:06, 10 April 2013 (UTC)


text:
Scottish budget rejected

January 28, 2009

The Scottish Parliament has narrowly rejected the Scottish government's proposed £33 billion budget.

The devolved parliament was tied 64-64 on the motion to approve the budget after two Green Party MSPs switched away from backing the minority Scottish National Party (SNP) administration. The Presiding Officer (speaker) of the parliament, Alex Fergusson, used his casting vote to reject the budget. Finance Secretary John Swinney of the SNP announced that he would immediately reintroduce it. The budget had the backing of the Scottish Conservatives.

Green MSPs had sought a £100 million, 10-year home insulation scheme, whilst the Scottish government had offered a smaller pilot scheme. This offer was increased as the vote approached but failed to convince the Greens to back the budget.

If a new budget is not in place by the start of the financial year in April, the current budget will rollover. However, Scottish ministers say this will cause a £1.8 billion cut in spending.

Scotland's GDP fell by 0.8% in the last quarter.

title: Scottish budget rejected


text:
Global economy could lose up to 51 million jobs this year, says UN agency

January 29, 2009

The International Labor Organization (ILO), a branch of the United Nations concerned with labor and workers' rights issues, issued a report Wednesday explaining how the global economic crisis could create a global employment crisis by the end of the year.

"By the end of 2008 working poverty, vulnerable employment and unemployment were beginning to rise as the effects of the slowdown spread," the report states. "If the recession deepens in 2009, as many forecasters expect, the global jobs crisis will worsen sharply." Even for those who keep their jobs, the report predicts that "earnings and other conditions of employment will deteriorate."

In a worst-case scenario, the ILO says 51 million jobs could be lost in 2009, meaning that 7.1% of the world's working population would be out of a job. In a more realistic scenario, the report foresees a loss of 30 million jobs, with a global unemployment rate of 6.5%. The unemployment rate has increased in recent years, from 5.7% in 2007 to an estimated 6% in 2008.

Even the report's most optimistic scenario for this year, a loss of 18 million jobs at an unemployment rate of 6.1%, is not much different than the ILO's October 2008 prediction of 20 million jobs lost this year due to the financial crisis.

The report warns that developing countries in South Asia and Subsaharan Africa will be harshly affected by the economic crisis. Although working poverty - defined as having daily wages of US$2 or less - is on an overall decline, these regions are still characterized by poor working conditions, low salaries, and an insecure job market. This will only worsen in 2009, according to the ILO.

"Taking into account that a wage and salary job in poor regions may still not ensure all the components of a decent job, it becomes understandable that only a minority of working people have a job that is well paid, respects their fundamental rights and ensures some security in case of job loss, personal or family illnesses, or other difficulties." The report says that by the end of 2008, nearly 53% of workers around the world could be in "vulnerable employment".

In terms of actual unemployment, however, developed countries are the ones most likely to be affected by the downturn, as they are more tied to the global financial system. The unemployment rate in the European Union and other developed economies increased by 0.7 percentage points in 2008, the largest increase of all regions. "Globalization combined with rapid technological advances is another challenge for labour markets in the region," the ILO says. "It is important for workers and employers to be ready and able to adjust quickly to change and to stiffer competition."

Still, the unemployment rate of 6.4% in these developed countries is far less than in North Africa and the Middle East, which had unemployment rates of 10.3% and 9.4% respectively. East Asia had the lowest unemployment rate of the regions at 3.8%.

The report urged global economies to take cooperative measures, including working with the United Nations, in order to stem the economic crisis. It also asks governments to address the "negative social consequences of globalization" by placing on emphasis an social justice-based programs targeted toward women, youth, and other "vulnerable groups".

In particular, the ILO says governments should establish public infrastructure projects such as road construction, expand health insurance and unemployment benefits, and focus on the creation of green jobs when devising their stimulus plans. "When governments design fiscal stimulus packages, it is important that they consider employment-related goals, including explicit employment growth targets," the report concluded.

"In the world, there remains a huge untapped labour potential, and economic growth and development could be much higher if everyone was given the chance of a decent job."


text:
Comments:New Zealander discovers US military data on MP3 player

And I'd wonder how the Russians stole data from us.--KDP3 (talk) 19:37, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * To be fair, whilst civil servants have been leaving classified documents on trains and in diners since... well, since trains and diners were invented... but the new technologies now available offer limitless opportunities for people to lose stuff. And you've got the extra fun of people's general ignorance of technology - they transfer files from computer to computer, email them home, put them on a memory stick, transfer them to a third computer, email them back, and never once think that they're leaving a copy behind each time - why would you? It's not like the real world. And because it's not real, the data itself comes to seem unimportant. Redvers (talk) 19:45, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The world is only a cluster-fuck away from discovering who made George W. Bush's underwear while he was in office. :-P --Brian McNeil / talk 19:54, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It'll be delicious if it turns out to be Victoria's Secret or Ann Summers... Redvers (talk) 19:56, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * When a journalist asked America's new Commander in Chief, "boxers or briefs?", the newly elected president said, "son, I support our armed forces... Commando all the way!". --Brian McNeil / talk 20:59, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
First openly gay prime minister to be appointed in Iceland

January 28, 2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, an openly gay Icelandic politician currently serving as the nation's Minister for Social Affairs, is soon to be appointed prime minister. The appointment will mark the first time ever that an openly gay individual has been appointed head of a national government. She will remain interim prime minister until the general election, rescheduled for May.

Jóhanna, 66, has support from both parties in the new coalition government, and she says she will accept the position under the condition that both parties will trust her. On January 27, it was announced that the nation's coalition government had collapsed and dissolved following a banking financial crisis. In October of 2008, Iceland's banking sector collapsed and was largely nationalised.

"Now we need a strong government that works with the people," said Jóhanna during a press conference. She will be replacing the current prime minister, Geir Haarde who resigned on January 26, and is the chairmen of the nation's independent party and a critic of Jóhanna. He criticizes her not for her sexual orientation, but her appointment because he believes she will not help the economic crisis, resulting in more government spending.

The new minority coalition will consist of Jóhanna's Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement with backing from the Progressive Party. Elections are expected in May 2009. The Social Democratic Alliance was also in the previous coalition with Geir's Independence Party.

"Jóhanna is a very good woman — but she likes public spending, she is a tax raiser," said Geir.

A 2008 poll conducted in December, found that 73% of 2,000 people surveyed supported Jóhanna, which would make her the country's most popular prime minister in their government's history. Iceland's deputy chief of mission at the Icelandic embassy in Washington, D.C. located in the United States, Olafur Sigurdsson, says that her homosexuality was never a problem with most other government officials.

"If she is gay, that is not an issue at all. We are very liberal in that sense. It has never been an issue for her as a politician," said Olafur.

Before entering the world of politics, Jóhanna worked for Loftleidir Airlines as a flight attendant for about 10 years, before she got elected to parliament in 1978. From 1987 to 1994 and then from 2007 until the present day, she has served as the country's Minister for Social Affairs.


text: Talk:Scottish budget rejected

title: Talk:Scottish budget rejected


text:
Talk:First openly gay prime minister to be appointed in Iceland

Title
This is a dreadful title. She is not the first openly gay woman. That's someone back in the murky past of history who probably got burnt at the stake for coming out the closet. May I suggest a variation on "A first for Iceland: Openly gay female Prime Minister appointed". --Brian McNeil / talk 19:48, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * First openly gay prime minister to be appointed in Iceland? Covers both bases... Redvers (talk) 19:55, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Icelandic names
According to Wikipedia, Icelandic names are properly abbreviated to the given name, not the surname. Instead of using one family name for one family, the surname indicates the first name of the father or mother. So if someone with the first name Jóhanna was born to a a parent with the first name Sigurðar, the daughter would be Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (literally "Sigurðar's daughter"). See the Wikipedia page for Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir for an example of how this is used. I wasn't aware of this naming system until I clicked on her page, so please correct me if I'm wrong. ~Planoneck~ 21:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Oops, I should have read this first. Sorry for the changes that had to be changed back. I have confirmed that Iceland does do this in articles such as this. --SVTCobra 22:38, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Yup. I almost did the same thing, but I happened to be reading the wikipedia article on Jóhanna, and saw the handy name link just like Planoneck did. Gopher65talk 22:41, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Hold on
I think Wikinews is jumping he gun a bit here: Johanna hasn't been appointed PM yet (although she almost certainly will be in the next couple of days). Neither am I sure that we have the permission to reproduce the image from http://eng.felagsmalaraduneyti.is/minister/cv Physchim62 (talk) 02:03, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The article does not reflect that she is PM yet. But it is a done deal and will happen. RE the image: I wrote to the government there and a few other e-mails a source gave me. Trying for a free license or at least permission to use it. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:05, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Hmm, that's what I thought. It's hardly the status that's given on commons, nor an acceptable status for WM projects. As for jumping the gun, you're 24 hours behind the rest of the news outlets on Johanna's sexuality and its implications for world history: why not try to be the first when her appointment is actually announced? Physchim62 (talk) 02:19, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * We were not trying to be the first to report about it. Its not always about being first. If we are, then so be it. But our goal is to get out a good, accurate and interesting article. People here write what they are interested in, when they are interested in writing. So if we happen to be the first, or last then either way it makes me happy to see another article published. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:19, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * And I am very interested in reading it. It has reliable sources (I know Wikinews can also publish original research when it has it) and is reported as a done deal (unless something unforseen happens). GeorgeII (talk) 07:30, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

intro tad confusing
I'm a bit confused by the last sentence in the intro: "So far, none have yet to be elected either" - does that mean there have been no openly gay politicians elected to any political body in any country ever (something i find incredibly hard to believe) or does that mean that no openly gay politicans have ever been elected to the governing body of Iceland (and if so, did she get elected?), or does that mean that no openly gay person has ever been elected to the office of prime minister (which would be redundant). Sentence could be interpreted a lot of ways. Bawolff ☺☻ 07:12, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It actually says specifically 'Prime Minister'. None have been elected PM before, in any nation, nor appointed at one until now. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 11:52, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I added "She will remain interim prime minister until the general election, rescheduled for May." to indicate that no openly gay person will have been elected even once she is appointed. Couldn't think of other wording. GeorgeII (talk) 15:53, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Image
For anyone wanting to know the copyright of the image, I sent the mail through scoop. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 11:53, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Can you send the mail to [mailto:permissions-commons@wikimedia.org permissions-commons@wikimedia.org] as well, please? I will tag it as OTRS pending and withdraw it from the deletion request.  --InfantGorilla (talk)
 * I don't believe a OTRS is needed for a non-copyrighted image. If it is free, then there would be no reason to request a OTRS ticket. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 12:00, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Its not really needed but I sent it anyways. Unless you are OTRS, I doubt anyone will see it for a bit. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 12:02, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

I uploaded the higher resolution version that was mentioned in the mail you posted at Commons. --InfantGorilla (talk) 14:05, 29 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Encyclopædia Britannica fights back against Wikipedia, soon to let users edit contents

I can see where Cauz is coming from, distinguishing his publication as a primary source compared to Wikipedia, which emphasizes sources cited rather than the article itself as primary; and the relative reliability implied. But the elitism slathered over his public statement is likely to constrict Britannica's niche even more. They're trying to put themselves in a competitive position, and the only way they could succeed is for Wikipedia to adopt the contribution model they're proposing, which isn't too different from the one suggested should be ratified (and already ratified by German Wikipedia.)

Encyclopaedia Britannica vs Wikipedia
Britannica never thought that an open source product like Wikipedia would seriously challenge the credibility of its brand. They were wrong and Encyclopaedia Britannica's staff seriously misread the global market. They are now very concerned about the widespread use of a free Wikipedia vs their paid subscription model From a corporate and financial perspective, Encyclopaedia Britannica is in serious trouble. It will be interesting to see if Encyclopaedia Britannica survives, but recent indications do not look good. It is the combination of a) the success of Wikipedia and b) improved search engines that has put financial pressure on Encyclopedia Britannica over recent years. Many libraries, schools & individuals are questioning the need to pay for sets of expensive books, or to subscribe to Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, when the content is free on the internet, and often much more comprehensive.
 * hmmm. I note that this exact same comment was written on the physorg.com article on this subject a few days ago, by someone called "1768". Do copyrights apply to comments too? Gopher65talk 02:00, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

It may simply be the same author copying his own post. And copyleft is less aggressive than copyright

 * Copyright automatically applies unless waived. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 19:58, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

What's the point of EB asking for user contributions if they already have a panel of experts? Also, what about censorship--who decides what content to publish on the site? Tell someone (talk) 13:50, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Opinion piece
I recently criticized the BBC and other media outlets for getting the FlaggedRevisions issue and various other relevant facts wrong, despite easy fact checking opportunities... I would have expected editors from within the Wikimedia community to do better.

This article needs a lot of heavy editing to improve its clarity in terms of quoting and description, a lot of heavy editing to remove unsubstantiated opinion, and a lot of fact-checking to backup broad claims made using little evidence before it should be described as a solid piece of reporting. Avruch (talk) 00:12, 3 February 2009 (UTC)


text: Talk:Scottish politician to face perjury trial


text:
User:NobleCherryWisdom

Hi, everyone. Have A Happy Wikipedia!

 * w:ja:User:NobleCherryWisdom
 * w:en:User:NobleCherryWisdom
 * ja:User:NobleCherryWisdom

ja:User:NobleCherryWisdom

title: User:NobleCherryWisdom


text:
User talk:BustablePolitics

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:03, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

hi
Please note, your article Nebraska senators may not support stimulus plan requires some editing before it can be published. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:32, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:BustablePolitics


text:
Nebraska senators may not support stimulus plan

January 30, 2009

The two federal senators of Nebraska are not sure if they will be backing President Barack Obama's $819 billion dollar stimulus plan, in spite of approval of the bill given by the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The bill will support Nebraska with around $378 million to help the state budget for the next two years, and will also give the state an extra $230 million to be spent on infrastructure construction and repair.

Nebraskan Sen. Ben Nelson (Democrat) said allotting $1.1 billion for medical research was troublesome. Nelson wants to see more jobs created for Nebraskans, and believes the bill is not truly stimulus, but rather constitutes additional spending. Republican Sen. Mike Johanns agreed mostly with Nelson, but also pointed out the stimulus money for the National Endowment for the Arts as a form of job creation.

Nelson stated that Nebraska will receive around $250 million dollars for highway construction from the stimulus plan, with no need for the state to match the funding. Around 27 billion dollars in highway funds are found in stimulus appropriations, which Nelson said he supported as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The package is also said to set aside money to help build hospitals in rural areas, as well as community health centers. Money for the construction and repair of veterans medical facilities, and funding to help drinking and wastewater infrastructure are also included.

Sen. Johanns commented that he thinks none of it will be paid for, but instead will be funded by floating debt.


text:
User talk:Physchim62

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:05, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

style guide compliance
Please note these required changes to bring the Belgian rail crash article in line with the Style Guide. --Brian McNeil / talk 19:58, 15 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I think "fuck you" is the only appropriate response to that edit summary! Don't come running to me next time the Wikinews top story is days out of date if that sort of thanks one gets. Physchim62 (talk) 20:52, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

 * Don't worry. If you aren't prepared to accept that the learning curve is steep and get on with it, then we won't dream of asking you to do anything. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 21:01, 15 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah, someone who'll fit in just fine :D --Brian McNeil / talk 21:53, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

The "learning curve" shouldn't be "steep": if it is, then that would be something to change to get more editors onto Wikinews. When I started writing my paper on the Halle rail crash, the top story on Wikinews was three days old! If you want the site to be a personal wiki, then give it a wikia domain name; otherwise, accept that papers will not always be in accordance with the arbitrary style guidelines and edit them without insulting the person who has spent his or her time giving the project a bit of content which might justify its name. Physchim62 (talk) 18:15, 18 February 2010 (UTC)

 * Insult? Where? It was hardly a tucked-away corner of the style guide; you could have ascertained it from looking at any published article. We are prepared to clean up mistakes from newcomers, but that particular mess was avoidable. The learning curve has to be steep. We have deadlines. That's how news works. Note the new bit. As for the rest ('personal wiki' shite that you're spouting) - I won't even dignify that particular strawman with a response. You're a well-established WP editor; you should know better than to use fallacies. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 18:19, 18 February 2010 (UTC)

title: User talk:Physchim62


text:
Israel resumes attacks in Gaza, Rice asks for war crimes investigations

January 30, 2009

An attack by Israeli warplanes injured 9 people today, including seven school children in what witnesses say was an attack on a member of Hamas who was riding on a motorcycle nearby. The raid came several hours after Israel bombed a metal foundry in Rafah that Israel claims was producing rockets.

These attacks come after a rocket was fired at Israel from inside Gaza. Another rocket was fired into Israel after the attacks. An armed faction of the Palestinian group Fatah claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks.

The rockets were fired after Israel carried out raids on Gaza tunnels which Israelis say smuggle weapons into Gaza. Gazans maintain that the tunnels are their only source of food and water because of crippling economic blockades enforced by Israel. The attack on the tunnels was carried out after a roadside bomb killed one Israeli soldier and wounded three others.

Both Hamas and Israel have claimed separate ceasefires after one of the bloodiest strings of violence in the history of Gaza that left 1,400 Palestinians dead including as many as 400 children and 100 women. 12 Israeli soldiers and 3 civilians were also killed during the violence that began on December 27th, and ended just two days before the inauguration of President Obama on January 18th when Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire.

Sources indicate that Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert is calling a meeting of security advisors to discuss how to respond to rocket fire stemming from Gaza.

Today the newly appointed U.S ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said she supported the UN general assembly's insistence that Israel must investigate possible war crimes committed in Gaza. War crimes that members of the UN have charged Israel with include the bombing of multiple UN schools killing refugees, and the use of white phosphorus in densely populated civilian areas.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has said that there will also be a separate UN investigation into the attacks on UN schools which killed scores of refugees that had been taking shelter there.


text:
User:Z E U S

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Z_E_U_S

title: User:Z E U S


text: User:Seresin

title: User:Seresin


text: Talk:Global economy could lose up to 51 million jobs this year, says UN agency


text:
User talk:Seresin

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:41, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Seresin


text:
User talk:Karen5

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:42, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Karen5


text:
User talk:PendletonTX

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:43, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:PendletonTX


text:
User talk:216.59.244.126

Welcome
Welcome!

216.59.244.126, welcome to Wikinews! Thank you for your contributions I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here a few pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews:
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
 * Cite sources - everything in a Wikinews article must be sourced
 * Introduction - overview of the site
 * Writing an article - how to write and publish a complete article
 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
 * Style guide - how articles should look before publishing
 * Contents - the contents page.
 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
 * The front page lead articles often need updating
 * Developing stories need finishing and publishing
 * Discussions need your input
 * And of course, stories need writing!

Here are some other hints and tips:

 * I would recommend that you get a username. You don't have to log in to read or edit articles on Wikinews, but creating an account is quick, free and non-intrusive, requires no personal information (not even an e-mail address), and there are many benefits of having a username.  (If you edit without a username, your IP address is used to identify you instead.)

 * When using talk pages (the "collaboration" tab at the top of the page), or the comments pages (tab "opinions"), please sign your name at the end of your messages by typing four tildes (~~). This will automatically produce your username (or IP address) and the date.

If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:45, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:216.59.244.126


text:
User talk:Z E U S

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:47, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Z E U S


text: Talk:Iran's Ahmadinejad wants change in US policies, not 'tactics'


text:
Comments:Sir Paul Stephenson to head London's police

is it still common policy to only give people with titles and respect in the UK? grow up. You dont have an empire any more. 140.141.22.124 04:01, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

 * It's ok. You can always buy your own. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 20:11, 29 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Bart Simpson used to promote Scientology

January 29, 2009

, 51, who is a long time member of the Church of Scientology, has created a recording using her voice of as part of a  promotion. The message surfaced early Wednesday morning on YouTube.

During the message, Cartwright states that "This is a special message" and announces a Scientology conference this coming weekend at the grand ballroom of the in Los Angeles where she has a speaking engagement. The message ends with a toll free number to call to RSVP. Wikinews has obtained audio of the message, which is displayed near the end of this report.

Cartwright, who also voices the roles of, , and , has been following the Church of Scientology since 1989. She has donated millions of dollars to the Scientology organization, founded by. In 2007, she gave a 10 million donation to the organization, surpassing donations from actors, John Travolta, and Tom Cruise. Cartwright earns approximately $400,000 per episode.

The Simpsons executives did not authorize this usage of in this manner. Executive producer told , "This is not authorized by us. The Simpsons does not, and never has, endorsed any religion, philosophy or system of beliefs any more profound than Butterfinger bars," referencing the  for the  candy bar.

The Simpsons creator has not yet issued a statement about Cartwright's recorded message. According to, Twentieth Century Fox television would not comment on whether or not Cartwright would face disciplinary actions in response to the usage of Bart Simpson's voice in this capacity.

Cartwright begins the message with, "Hey, what's happening man, this is Bart Simpson...", and then says she is kidding and identifies herself as the voice actress. Cartwright proceeds to use her own voice and Bart's voice throughout the message.

She states, "I'm now auditing on new OT [] Seven," referring to a level of spiritual state as used within Scientology. Operating Thetan level seven is one of the higher levels in Scientology. Cartwright uses Scientology while speaking in Bart's voice, saying she will share her "many wins" as an "" at the Hollywood Scientology event. She invites the listener to the Scientology organization's "Flag World Tour" event on January 31 in Hollywood, California, where she is planned to attend as a speaker.

The message has since been removed from YouTube. Visitors of the link, which appears in several press articles, are now left with a message saying "this video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Twentieth Century Fox." Wikinews sent an e-mail to FOX regarding the incident, but as of this report, they have not replied.

has been a major theme in The Simpsons. In the episode "", the commentators said that Movementarians were largely inspired by Scientology, the  and the, the , the , the , the  and.

The late Isaac Hayes left  over its attitudes towards Scientology depicted in the episode: "".


text:
Talk:Bart Simpson used to promote Scientology

Video
I tried to see the video, to no avail. The link is here: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b81251_bart_simpsons_voice_speaks_scientology.html. Now when visiting, you get the message "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Twentieth Century Fox." DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 04:52, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Hmm just an interesting thought...if FOX is not or not planning on doing anything with the incident...why would they want to claim copyright on it and have it removed from youtube? Seems a little suspicious, and I am not the only one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnoMGqcN554 Not sure how long it will be there though. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 04:54, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I e-mailed FOX...doubt I will get anything back, but who knows. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 05:06, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Theres a screenshot of the taken down video here (this is internal to youtube, so it might disapear soon. basically its a picture of bart holding a telephone). I think its more likely that fox is claiming copyright to these images rather than the audio. Bawolff ☺☻ 05:57, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

South Park
Whilst I think it's fine to include a "in a similar incident..." comment about Hayes/Southpark. The line about his subsequent death is at best superfluous and at worst a very strange end to the article. 194.176.105.39 08:08, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * See similar info at E! Online, the info about his death is relevant background material. Cirt (talk) 08:34, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I disagree. The E! Online article only describes him as "the late singer", it does not give the details of his death.  Nor should we; those details are irrelevant to an article about Bart Simpson, Nancy Cartwright, and Scientology.  John Darrow (talk) 17:30, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The current treatment with "the late" is fine. Cirt (talk) 18:41, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Additional sources
Cirt (talk) 06:07, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Who was called?
The message sounds like it is intended for those already in Scientology and Cartwright is appealing to those who want to go to the next thetan level. It doesn't sound like it is an unsolicited robocall. Is there any indication if that is so? I think that would be relevant. --SVTCobra 22:22, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * If you could find more on this in secondary sources, that would be most appreciated. Cirt (talk) 22:26, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I was hoping to avoid that, figuring that someone here (like you) had already read them all and would know the answer off hand. --SVTCobra 22:35, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I have not encountered that particular bit of information in the secondary sources I have come across so far. Cirt (talk) 22:53, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The Times clearly state in the second paragraph of their article that this was an automated telephone message sent to Scientologists, inviting them to a Scientology event. In other words, the general public would never even have heard the message if someone had not put it on the net.  It is not as though these calls talking about "spiritual levels", "auditors" and "wins" went out to 12-year-olds' cell phones.
 * , dd. Jan 28: "We called the phone number for the event that Nancy gives out, and the person who answered was surprised a non-Scientologist got the message -- thanks, YouTube."
 * , dd. Jan 28: "The Village Voice reports that Cartwright, a Scientologist, solicits followers of the Church to attend a Hollywood event." —Jayen466 (talk) 22:38, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Even so, none of these sources say for sure that the message was sent to just Scientologists. In fact your YouTube reference clearly states that it was not just scientologists who got the message. I have talked to at least one other person that also is not a scientologist who got the message. Regardless, she is using a voice of a copyrighted and trademarked character to promote a Scientology event. That in itself is misleading a a form of maybe propaganda. Example: Because its 'Bart' calling, it now makes the individual more likely to attend, influencing them. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 22:41, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I agree with - these sources do not state the message was sent exclusively to Scientologists, and other sources actually refute this. Also, the article's publish date was January 29, 2009, it is a bit late to be making changes. Cirt (talk) 22:46, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * There were clear mentions in available sources that the message went out to Scientologists and was intended for them. Also, it stands to reason that a message intended for the general public would not have used Scientology jargon in the way the message is using it. —Jayen466 (talk) 22:54, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Here is another, in one of the sources listed on the article page: Twentieth Century Fox television would not comment on whether Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart on "The Simpsons," will face disciplinary action following her voice message urging Scientologists, in Bart's voice, to attend an upcoming conference. ... The YouTube recording of Cartwright's robocall to Scientology members, which began "Hey what's happening man, this is Bart Simpson. Ha ha ha! Just kidding this is Nancy Cartwright" has been removed from the Web site. —Jayen466 (talk) 23:01, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I've read through the sources given in the article; as far as I can see, not a single one refutes that calls were made to Scientologists, or claims that non-Scientologists received the call. —Jayen466 (talk) 23:18, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * As a more general point, newspapers often print corrections, retractions etc. in a later edition if they got something wrong. If there is no facility for this here, then perhaps Wikinews should think about allowing article writers to add an errata box after the publish date, to correct any errors that may have occurred. —Jayen466 (talk) 23:21, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * None of these sources state that the Bart Simpson message was sent exclusively to Scientologists. Perhaps an official statement from the Church of Scientology or from Cartwright's public relations people could clarify this. Cirt (talk) 23:28, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Never mind the "exclusively"; the article should at least (have) state(d) that the calls went out to Scientologists. There are ample sources for that. Frankly, I can't see any reason for the resistance to stating that in the article. It's in the Times. —Jayen466 (talk) 23:42, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Sorry I still don't see it. I even said I talked to at least one person who got the message and is not a Scientologist. And regardless of who it was sent to, or not sent to, the fact remains that it was Bart Simpson being used to promote a Scientology event. And if this was sent to just Scientologists, as you claim, then how did word get out about the message? If only scientologists received it, then they would certainly not call up the press to report or leak it. So the claim it was sent to just Scientologists makes no sense whatsoever. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 23:29, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Dragon, tmz staff said "thanks youtube" (and posted a link to the video). They did not imply in any way that they personally got the phone message. Who knows, maybe it was some disgruntled member of a Scientologist household who leaked it – I can't see any evidence in the sources that people without any connection to Scientology received the call on their phone number.
 * We have several reliable sources saying that the calls went out to Scientologists. Again, what makes no sense whatsoever is that the Church of Scientology would send out a message talking about OT7, wins and auditing to the general public. The very wording makes it very clear that the message was intended for Scientologists who would be able to understand this jargon. Cheers, —Jayen466 (talk) 23:39, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * A disgruntled Scientologist at OT7? That is very unlikely. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 23:57, 31 January 2009 (UTC)