text:
Talk:Saudi most-wanted list includes former Guantanamo captives

What part of this article is original material?
The article points out that six of the eight men were repatriated in spite of their review boards recommending their continued detention in US custody. This is supported by the official documents on the public record, but I do not believe it has been published anywhere else. Gordon England was the Designated Civilian Official]. It was his responsibility to read the review board's recommendations and make the final decision on the boards' recommendations for transfer or continued detention He authorized 133 transfers based on the recommendations of the annual review boards convened in 2005. He authorized 55 transfers based on the recommendations of the annual review boards convened in 2006. Heavily redacted versions of those recommendation memos were published in September 2007. All of the recommendation memos from 2007 were published in January 2009. So whether captives transfer was in spite of the boards' recommendation is on the public record. The only original research I did was to go check what those documents recorded, and point out that transfer of those men was not due to a failure on the part of the officers making the recommendations. Geo Swan (talk) 13:40, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

 * In my opinion, working from public documents does not amount to original reporting. --SVTCobra 23:53, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

question...
Where is the actual list of 85 names?

I dunno. I can't find it. I wonder whether it was only published in Arabic? If anyone else can find it, where I have failed, my hat is off to you. Geo Swan (talk) 13:45, 8 February 2009 (UTC)
 * It would be great if we could attract and retain Arabic speakers who could help researching things like this, but a number of ideological divides get in the way. Much like Americans being conditioned to believe socialism is evil when ideals it espouses such as universal health care would benefit them and save them money, many in the Arab world have indoctrinated prejudices which are a barrier to cooperation. --Brian McNeil / talk 14:28, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

misleading title
With a list of 85, and only around a dozen confirmed as ex-inmates of Gitmo, the title is misleading in that it implies the list specifically targets ex-inmates. --Brian McNeil / talk 13:49, 8 February 2009 (UTC)
 * After reading the article, and having it trigger this concern, did you have an alternate title in mind? Geo Swan (talk) 14:00, 8 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Nothing I thought was particularly good. How about Saudi most-wanted list includes former Guantanamo detainees? I don't think there is a need to stress that it is the most recently released list, that can be inferred from it being mentioned in a news report. That detail can also be in the article body. --Brian McNeil / talk 14:18, 8 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your suggestion. I moved the article to Saudi most-wanted list includes former Guantanamo captives. I think "captive" is more neutral than "detainee".  I never heard of any captive called a detainee, until Guantanamo.  I think "detainee" implies that the process through which the captive was held was a normal, mundane, routine procedure -- one whose legality was unquestioned.  These men were held without charge, no meaningful attempt was made to refute or confirm their alibis.  Now that the men have access to proper review of their detention, through habeas corpus, the DoD and DoJ have quietly acknowledged that there had never been enough evidence to justify the mens detention.  Calling these guys "kidnap victims" would not be neutral.  But, it seems to me that calling them detainees is not really neutral, either.  I think a neutral term has to be chosen -- like captive.

 * Cheers! Geo Swan (talk) 20:25, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

12 includes 85?
"In the days that followed, close to a dozen former Guantanamo captives were identified, among those were 85 men and boys."

How can 85 men and boys be among 12 captives? I suppose the sentence is supposed to be "...a dozen former captives were identified among the 85 men and boys". How did that pass style check? It's in the lead paragraph. --86.159.223.93 08:02, 11 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:One person dead, hundreds rescued from ice drift in Lake Erie in US

Hmmm... maybe I wont go ice fishing today. I never thought that a lake that size could do that.. I guess I was wrong --Ub3rst4r (talk) 13:44, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

I agree
It was monumentally stupid. Would have served these guys right to be left out there for a day or two. They were WARNED, but NOOOO they had to go build a makeshift bridge and go over. First rule I learned in the police department was 'Never underestimate Human Stupidity.' This is a perfect case in point. I think they should be made to pay for the rescue. Might make them think twice next time. Probably not but you can hope...207.69.140.36 —Preceding comment was added at 20:44, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

I think that this is terrible i feel really bad for my dad who was on that and I hope he is doing better I Miss You Dad —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.74.25.26 (talk) 00:21, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Benjamin Franklin

1777 Jean-Baptiste Greuze portrait of Franklin.

6th President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania In office October 18, 1785 – December 1, 1788 Preceded by John Dickinson Succeeded by Thomas Mifflin

23rd Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly In office 1765 – 1765 Preceded by Isaac Norris Succeeded by Isaac Norris

United States Minister to France In office 1778 – 1785 Appointed by Congress of the Confederation Preceded by New office Succeeded by Thomas Jefferson

United States Minister to Sweden In office 1782 – 1783 Appointed by Congress of the Confederation Preceded by New office Succeeded by Jonathan Russell

1st United States Postmaster General In office 1775 – 1776 Appointed by Continental Congress Preceded by New office Succeeded by Richard Bache

Born January 17, 1706(1706-01-17) Boston, Massachusetts Died April 17, 1790 (aged 84) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Nationality United States Political party None Spouse Deborah Read Children William Franklin Francis Folger Franklin Sarah Franklin Bache Profession Scientist Writer Politician Signature —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.45.130.165 (talk) 22:09, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

IDK Y IM DOIN DIS O YEH I DO CUZ MA FRIEND FORCED ME TO SO OK BY! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.9.85.59 (talk) 23:03, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

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


text:
More than 160 dead in bushfires in Australia

February 9, 2009

173 people have been killed in fires raging through Australia, making this the deadliest bushfire in Australian history. Nearly 815,447 acres (330,000 hectares) have been burned and 750 homes have been burned to the ground. In 1983, 75 people were killed on what was dubbed the. 71 people were killed in similar fires in 1939. The country's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, calls the fires "mass murder".

"This is of a level of horror that few of us anticipated. There are no words to describe it other than mass murder," said Rudd who also called the situation "numbing".

The combination of Australia's long term drought, a record heat wave with temperatures as high as 47.2 degrees Celcius (117 Fahrenheit) and winds over 100km/h (60mph), sparked the dozens of fires across Victoria. Some are being investigated as arson. Over 60,000 firefighters are battling the various blazes. These fires although common in Australia have caught people unprepared due to their intensity and speed. Survivors of tell of how up until 10 minutes before the fire started to tear through their country town people were unaware of how close and dangerous the fire really was.

24 people from Kinglake and Kinglake West have died and hundreds of houses have burnt to the ground. Over 1,500 people in Kinglake alone have been left homeless, left with a town which has mostly burned to the ground. Many people have been caught in the terrifying position of staying and fighting for their houses or fleeing before the fires arrive. Many of the people who have died have attempted to flee in their cars too late and were caught in the middle of the inferno, some being burned alive. Despite the efforts of firefighters, many towns have been totally destroyed, leaving nothing but piles of ashes. Witnesses and survivors of fires in and, Victoria, describe the towns as being totally wiped out or substantially damaged.

Authorities are investigating the fires, some 20% of them are being called arson or have being started by human error, leaving much of the scorched land a crime scene of ashes. Some of the fires were reignited by arsonists after firefighters had already taken control of them, according to one fire official in Victoria. Others are believed to have been started by lighting tires on fire.

"Some of these fires have started in localities that could only be by hand, it could not be natural causes," said deputy commissioner for the Victoria state police, Kieran Walshe. Fire fighting operations chief, Steve Warrington says that the fire departments "know [they] have someone who is lighting fires in this community."

The Federal Government has pledged $10 million (4.4 million pounds) in immediate assistance with more to come as the situation becomes clear. The other States of Australia have also announced their plans to help Victoria and Victorians during this time. New South Wales will send 250 firefighters and 50 tankers. The Australian Capital Territory home to Canberra has pledged 90 firefighters and support equipment.

Australia's neighbour New Zealand is currently considering what assistance it will be able to provide. For the moment, the nation has sent 100 firefighters to help with battling the blazes. The team is expected to arrive to Australia in as little as 24 hours.

"What we can do is, with that manpower, really help out even if it's just a matter of relieving at times. We've obviously got to make sure we protect our domestic situation as well," said New Zealand prime minister.


text:
User talk:Mien~enwikinews

Welcome
--Brian McNeil / talk 15:47, 8 February 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 Mien. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Mien~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 23:18, 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) 06:34, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Mien~enwikinews


text:
Comments:UN halts aid to Gaza after tons of food aid is seized

By the gods Hamas is dumb! It recently scored a fair number of sympathy points with the various liberal peoples of the world due to Israel's over-reaching military actions in the Gaza Strip. Now, just a few weeks later, they appear to be doing everything in their power to make the world hate them. Who are they taking leadership lessons from, George W. Bush? Idiots. Gopher65talk 16:34, 8 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Automobile manufacturer Toyota triples annual loss prediction

Wow, with Toyota taking these types of losses, maybe Ford isn't doing as bad as I thought it was 0_0. GM are Chrysler are still dying a slow death though:P. I see no hope for them. Gopher65talk 16:38, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm, maybe I won't sell my car yet :p Fephisto (talk) 00:26, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

1/70? 1/100?
2008 was the only year out of Toyota's 70 years that Toyota claimed loss, but surely it is the beginning of annual losses since the world currency already halted. Considering the current situation 1/70 and 1/100 are not subjective, 2/2 makes much more sense in the foreseeable short term future. God bless our world. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Humancool (talk • contribs) 03:40, 9 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Tamil Tigers promise to fight back against Sri Lankan forces

Mahinda'a victory
If the Tamils were allowed to vote in 2005...then there votes would have gone to the UNP and Mahinda wouldn't have become the president

DEAR SIR/MADAM

HITLAR OR SADAM HUSSAIN HOW MUCH BETTER THAN MR MAHINTHA RAJABAZA AND HIS BROTHERS(SRI LANKA PRESIDENT FAMILY) LTTE ONLY SAFTY FOR TAMIL PEOPLE —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.109.241.39 (talk) 08:34, 18 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:RockerballAustralia/Archive 1

Welcome
, welcome to Wikinews! 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: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current 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! --Brian McNeil / talk 11:25, 23 December 2007 (UTC)
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Your Edits
It is not appropriate to re-add stories once they have been removed per consensus without discussing it first. Your work on the non Rockerball story was great and more contributions like that would be most appreciated. Anonymous101  17:47, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikinews previews the 2008 Australian Football International Cup - Capitalisation
I don't know enough to make the call on this, so I'm asking. Is the capitalisation of most words in this title appropriate? As an aside, shouldn't you slip "rules" into the title somewhere to indicate it isn't what the 'mericans call soccer? --Brian McNeil / talk 11:28, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Local council in Australia rejects McDonald's development plan
This story has been published. However, I would caution you to not copy and paste from your sources and then change a few words. That is still a copyvio of the original writer's work (and rather easy to detect). Please read the sources and then write the article in your own words. Cheers, --SVTCobra 00:05, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Category:2009 Queensland general election
By "2009 Queensland general election" do you mean Queensland state election, 2009? If so, I'd rename so they congrue. I found nothing else on Wikipedia. Cheers, --SVTCobra 01:32, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Yeah that's the one I mean. already changing it over. Thanks though. --RockerballAustralia (talk) 01:34, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

press passes
Just a heads up, I'm not 100% sure, but I think w:user:Messedrocker is the user who handles press passes. Bawolff ☺☻ 10:04, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

Prep
Please remember to create speculative articles at subpages of Story preparation, especially when dealing with topics that won't be resolved for another five or six days, and possibly not even resolved in a way which matches the description (CC came back from a two-goal deficit last year to win their semi-final tie). Daniel (talk) 07:54, 8 February 2009 (UTC)
 * PS: I'd suggest that it may be best to create this as one article and publish Saturday night; I'm happy to assist with such an article. Daniel (talk) 07:55, 8 February 2009 (UTC)
 * These Prep articles are writen as I expect them to happen. I will change them if need be. As for merging the two, I'll have to think about it. How would we do this? -RockerballAustralia (talk) 10:00, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Australian articles
I'd be willing to help out with them, if anyone wants. AC --Sunstar NW XP (talk) 22:13, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

File:BrentonClutterbuck.JPG
You will need to add a fair use rational for this image. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 16:55, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

Random thoughts
One of the things I've done in the past for myself and a few other people is main space redirects - like Patrick Gillet ;-) Think I've had a couple of people say it wasn't appropriate, but nobody has zapped them. Makes for a much nicer URL to put on business cards or things like that. Cards are something I'd recommend accredited reporters get, even if you just buy the pre-cut stationery and print onto them.

Anyway, right now you're the main Australian contributor, and you've done a fair bit of work on original reporting. How about shooting for an interview with Peter Garrett? --Brian McNeil / talk 18:45, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

 * Interesting thoughts. I'll shoot for thee interview with Peter Garrett - just not sure what on thought?--RockerballAustralia (talk) 21:58, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

User:Tempodivalse/Writing contest
Hello! I noticed you're online today. Just wanted to let you know there's an article writing contest that's currently in progress. If you're interested in joining, drop a line at the above link. Thanks! ♪Tempo di Valse ♪ 14:29, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Melbourne terror raids nab suspects
Hello Patrick. I have a real problem with the use of FirstXVnews as a source for this article. You wrote the source, so how can it be considered a reliable source? It is circular, and I find it highly inappropriate. I would prefer if you would refrain from this practice in the future. --SVTCobra 01:30, 5 August 2009 (UTC)

Editor status granted
I have promoted you to the Editor class, as I feel you can be trusted to mark revisions of articles as sighted (review). Please take a moment to read: If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask for help on my talk page, and thank you for contributing to Wikinews! Tempodivalse [talk]  23:18, 18 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Flagged revisions
 * Reviewing articles
 * Peer review
 * Review
 * Reviewed article version
 * Flagged Revisions extension information, on MediaWiki

2009 AFL Grand Final
Hey. You may remember that we worked last year we worked together on Hawthorn wins 2008 AFL Grand Final, which made the main lead. I was just wondering if you wanted to work together on that again, if not including the Bronwlow, and the rest of GF week?. Same arrangements as 2008, but with one exception - I am on a bus trip until 3:45pm (AEST), so maybe half each this year? Do you want to? -- DizzyStar (talk) 22:28, 19 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Right. I'm working on a plan in Userspace as I speak. I arrive home at 3:45, so it'll be around 4:15pm by the time I get home, turn on the PC and TV and all that. As for the brownlow, maybe Rd by Rd votes? I've actually sent a email to you (patrick.gillett@wikinewsie.org), because theres some sensative points I'd rather not share on wiki. -- DizzyStar (talk) 01:08, 20 September 2009 (UTC)
 * User:DizzyStar/GF Week 2009. I'll be away for most of the day, but I'll check when I get home. -- DizzyStar (talk) 21:54, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

De-editor
Hi RA. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that there is currently a discussion on whether to remove your editor flag, please see this and comment if you wish. Thanks, Tempodivalse [talk]  00:59, 20 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Just wanted to let you know, I've closed the request and had to remove your flag, per the consensus at WN:FRRFP. Tempodivalse [talk]  15:56, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

Re: review needed
✅—I was planning on reviewing it anyway. It seems like a very good article (though sport isn't my forté, so my opinion isn't necessarily the best). Den dodge T\C(en.wp) 10:19, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

Memorial unveiled to mark 50th anniversary of deaths of 47 miners in Lanarkshire, Scotland
Just a heads up. generally its the revision with publish on it that gets sighted, not the revision before that. When you use the review gadget, it will automatically sight the right revision for you. Bawolff ☺☻ 22:16, 20 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I've been using the review gadget--RockerballAustralia (talk) 22:19, 20 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I know. Just mentioning, you don't need to sight it when you did this:

[19:09]		Special:Log/review approve-i * RockerballAustralia * reviewed r884847 of Memorial unveiled to mark 50th anniversary of deaths of 47 miners in Lanarkshire, Scotland: [Accuracy: Sighted] Since the gadget will automatically do it for you. Cheers. Bawolff ☺☻ 22:26, 20 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh ok. Sorry. Misuderstood. --RockerballAustralia (talk) 22:31, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

GF
I'll just confirm these arrangements. I will be home after 3:45pm from my bus trip. I believe you are doing Q1 + Q2, and I am doing Q3 + Q4 + Norm Smith? As far as IRC goes, maybe irc://irc.irchighway.net/wikinews-aflgf ? -- DizzyStar (talk) 21:55, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Didn't make the lead this time. Musn't have been as good as 2008. Still, I saw the FLC. Maybe I should hang around here... -- DizzyStar (talk) 10:11, 26 September 2009 (UTC)

Your request for editor status
I had to close it as no consensus. Seems as though some people thought it was too soon after being deflagged. I think that you'd probably be successful if you waited for another few weeks, until early next month perhaps, and then apply again. Cheers. Tempodivalse [talk]  17:11, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Mind's reader
When a brain is working it generates an impulses (microelectrical), when somebody is thinking or operates incoming iformation (sees something or hears something) a computer remembers that impuls from the brain (from where it goes and what kind of). the next time it must be similar.  probably every person has own type of impulses. but if the computer could read the impulses then it could send the same to a person. it means it could play on the brain. <br\><br\> Just theory. But heard what russians are working on it. 2004 year When a brain is working it generates an impulses (microelectrical), when somebody is thinking or operates incoming iformation (sees something or hears something) a computer remembers that impuls from the brain (from where it goes and what kind of). the next time it must be similar. <br\><br\> probably every person has own type of impulses. but if the computer could read the impulses then it could send the same to a person. it means it could play on the brain. <br\><br\> Just theory. But heard what russians are working on it.

2004 year

please ask a questions and ill answer if nothing will happen with me

Alexander Kalinins Lazars son, 8street 17, Ul Yanovka (or Sablino), Saint-Petersburg, Russia (talk) 05:01, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Articles
I've got a question for you - do you know just how many articles you have written? --Rayboy8 (talk) 08:38, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

A nice treat
I've got a nice treat for you waiting in this link here. Rayboy8 (talk) 08:24, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Man arrested after fatal accident in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Hello, can please delete this article as soon as you possibly can? I am moving to Wikinews Shorts for tomorrow. Thanks, Rayboy8 (talk) 12:43, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Stale story
England rail users highlight Teesside Airport 'ghost station' was stale at the time of publication; the most recent source is 26 October and the publication date is five days after that. --Killing Vector (talk) 16:07, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Editor status
Congratulation on regaining editor status. Just a reminder, please only flag things once they are published. Don't flag things when they are in developing. Bawolff ☺☻ 01:28, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Will remember that. Thanks for the heads up --RockerballAustralia (talk) 01:48, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:RockerballAustralia/Archive 1


text:
Talk:More than 160 dead in bushfires in Australia

Doesn't seem that objective to me. (WN:NPOV). Bawolff ☺☻ 23:47, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Review
Why isn't this pointing to the main article in Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.0.187.85 (talk) 05:31, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * It is. At the bottom, in the Sources. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 05:40, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Move
The Australian term is "bushfires", and this was definitely a bushfire and not a brushfire. If anyone objects, please feel free to discuss here. Daniel (talk) 06:37, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Worst in almost 25 Years?
Given that the only other fires named killed 75 and 71 people, I would say that using the phrase "the worst fire disaster in Australia in almost 25 years" in inappropriate, considering it is even worse than the other two which have been named. Is this the deadliest bushfire ever? According to the Wikipedia article, at least, it is. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.74.184.156 (talk) 08:30, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Given the declining value of human life, the other disasters were worse, even though fewer lives were lost. --216.75.93.110 14:36, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Excuse me nub, but where are you getting this bullshit of "declining human life" from? Judging from your naive statement, I'm assuming you do not reside in Australia and wouldn't know what it's like to have 173 innocent lives in your country lost at the hands of an arsonist. And I doubt that you actually experienced the other bushfires, and I can tell you that this is the worst fire in Australian History. This bushfire was so unexpected and because it was pushed in the opposite direction by strong winds, it took the lives of unsuspecting families who did not have enough time to evacuate. The 24 fires are still burning and they probably will continue to for weeks. But by far this one is more devastating than the Ash Wednesday or 1994 East Coast Fires. So don't you dare undermine human life in favor of property, in my books you are a deadset fuckwit. 58.179.55.114 09:33, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Restarted
What is the source for the claim that arsonists restarted fires that had been brought under control? I checked all the Feb 9 sources, but could not find it. --SVTCobra 16:21, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * (under: Arson Probe) - "These people are terrorists within our nation, they are the enemy within and we have to be increasingly vigilant about them," he said. Arsonists were also relighting fires that had been brought under control, a fire authority official in Victoria said. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 21:02, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * OK, thanks, I missed that sentence. Since it seems like one guy saying it and not a known fact, I will attribute it in the article. Cheers, --SVTCobra 21:10, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Here's another source from the Heraald Sun, which states that "It was also reported earlier by the ABC that firebugs had been relighting fires in some areas after fire crews had moved on". Can't find anything on the ABC news site as yet that makes that allegation, but will let you know if I do find anything.  Lankiveil (talk) 08:26, 10 February 2009 (UTC).

 * http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1008536/Arsonists-lit-Churchill-fire-Nixon - Ms Nixon is the Victorian Head of Police. (Sorry I'm unsure how to edit this properly...) - David.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.190.226.130 (talk) 12:56, 12 February 2009 (UTC)
 * The article is dated Monday. For new developments a new article should be started. The investigation into arson allegations and (if I remember correctly from the BBC) detention of suspects is certainly worth a new story. --Brian McNeil / talk 13:41, 12 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Also, death count is currently 181 and expected to rise. 153.107.103.157 02:47, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Start a new article! You are right, there are many developments that are newsworthy, but we don't add them by changing old news. --SVTCobra 03:15, 13 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Airplane crash in Brazil kills 24

February 9, 2009

Twenty-four people, among them seven children, were killed on Sunday after their airplane crashed in a river in Brazil. Four people survived the crash, including a 9-year-old boy. The aircraft, which was a twin-engine Embraer turboprop chartered by Manaus Aerotaxis, was carrying 26 passengers and two crew members when it crashed.

The pilots of the plane, which had departed from Coari, had supposedly contacted the air traffic control near their destination of Manaus to announce that they were turning back. The plane, however, then disappeared from radar. The plane made an emergency landing in the river Manacapuru, a branch the Amazon river in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Manaus.

Rescue teams were dispatched immediately, and four passengers from the accident were recovered alive and in reportedly good condition. The rest of the passengers were found inside the plane. The rescue effort was made more difficult by nightfall and heavy rains.

According to passenger reports, one of the plane's engines stopped shortly before the crash. Some survivors also said that they managed to jump out of a door in the back of the aircraft before impact.

The authorities, who are still investigating the cause of the accident, suspect that the plane tried to make an emergency landing at the Panamacapuru airport nearby, but ditched in the river instead after falling short by half a kilometer. Heavy rain was reported when the plane went down and bad weather is hampering the investigation. Operations to recover the wreckage have been suspended until the weather improves.

title: Airplane crash in Brazil kills 24


text:
Talk:American baseball star Rodriguez admits to using performance enhancing drugs

I don't really like the title. It sounds grammatically incorrect to me, but I can't really put my finger on why. (sorry, thats not very helpful). Bawolff ☺☻ 00:29, 9 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:99.254.123.85

I deleted your article: Business Communications Manager, as it did not appear to be a news article. Wikinews is for news, not product descriptions. Thanks for your understanding. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Bawolff ☺☻ 00:42, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Welcome
Welcome!

99.254.123.85, 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! Bawolff ☺☻ 00:42, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:99.254.123.85


text:
User:Charitwo/monobook.css

@import url('http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Charitwo/global.css&action=raw&ctype=text/css');

title: User:Charitwo/monobook.css


text:
Talk:Airplane crash in Brazil kills 24

Review
Actually, it does say what river it was, at the end of the 2nd paragraph: The plane made an emergency landing in the river Manacapuru, a branch the Amazon river in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. ♪ Tempo Di  Valse ♪ 04:06, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

The plane was not a Brasilia, but a Bandeirante.

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090207-1 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 186.16.40.30 (talk) 08:32, 15 February 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:Airplane crash in Brazil kills 24


text:
Queensland Premier denies March 28 election

February 14, 2009

Despite fuelling speculation of a March 28 election, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has indicated that she will serve a full term. The Courier-Mail reported that the premier was moving to "tie off issues that could hurt Labor's prospects" in the election.

However, Anthony Chisholm, Australian Labor Party state secretary, has indicated that it does not mean an early election would be called.

"I've got no idea on timing - the Premier has indicated she intends on going full term," he said.

The government move to set up a lobbyist register, a 1998 election promise, and to reined-in judicial entitlements that involved magistrate Di Fingleton.

An inquiry has also been set up to address continuing concerns at Bundaberg Base Hospital. The inquiry was announce by health minister Stephen Robertson a day after he said that the issue was dated.

The quick actions to quell these issues encouraged fresh conjecture from the opposition Liberal National Party that the election would be held next month, possibly on the 28th. This would be legal as the Queensland Electoral Act (1992) requires the election campaign to last between 26 and 56 days.

Early election or not, several minor parties have already nominated candidates for a number of electorates. Notably, The Greens will run environmental lawyer Larissa Waters in Mt Coo-tha against treasurer Andrew Fraser, the Socialist Alliance will run Sam Watson in the premiers South Brisbane electorate and Daylight Saving for South East Queensland will run candidates in South East Queensland electorates only.


text:
Talk:Queensland Premier denies March 28 election

OR
OR primarily from other articles. Electoral Act viewd online at http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/E/ElectoralA92.pdf --RockerballAustralia (talk) 03:52, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't call that OR. Just list the "other articles" and the legislative act as sources. Use PDF at the end of sources which are PDF files. --SVTCobra 02:03, 10 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:89.0.187.85

Welcome
Welcome!

89.0.187.85, 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:
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 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
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 * 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.)

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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) 05:43, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:89.0.187.85


text:
User talk:125.236.227.131

Welcome
Welcome!

125.236.227.131, 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) 05:43, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:125.236.227.131


text:
Comments:Airplane crash in Brazil kills 24

That makes three
wow, an other attempt at a water landing--M.T.R (talk) 06:09, 9 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
No injuries, deaths after car-bomb explodes in Madrid, Spain

February 9, 2009

A van packed with explosives blew up at a trade fair center in the Spanish capital, Madrid shortly after 9:00 a.m. Monday. The blast was preceded by a phoned in warning from the assailants, which allowed police and fire crews to evacuate the area. Authorities believe the ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), a Basque separatist group which is on the United States list of foreign terrorist organizations, is responsible.

The attack comes three weeks before Basque regional elections and a day after the Spanish Supreme Court banned two nationalist party members from running for office in the upcoming election.

The van exploded around 9:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m.EST) outside the HQ of the building company Ferrovial Agroman, at the Campo de las Naciones. A warning about the pending attack was phoned into the city's local chapter of the Red Cross about 90 minutes before the explosion. The caller said the bomb would explode at 9:00 a.m. local time. No one was injured or killed, but the blast shattered windows in buildings and destroyed about 30 vehicles surrounding the blast zone. A nearby railway line and a bridge were also damaged.

Ferrovial is involved in building a high-speed train line in the Basque region, a project criticized by leftist Basque nationalists and ecologists and targeted by ETA in previous attacks. In December 2008, Ignacio Uria, a businessman linked to this project, was shot and killed. The ETA claimed responsibility for the attack. Ferrovial has not commented on the incident.


text:
Comments:More than 160 dead in bushfires in Australia

Those whinging that climate change isn't happening as Europe and North America are experiencing a cold winter should take a trip to Australia or to northern China. -Alemaco (talk) 13:28, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Maybe people in Australia and Northern China should go to Europe and North America instead of whinging about global warming. --SVTCobra 14:05, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Anonymous, let's see what will you think about the matter next summer. -Alemaco (talk) 09:37, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Why? Are you predicting a hot summer where I live? And so what if it is? It wouldn't prove anything. Localised weather phenomena do not prove global warming. Global warming is the gradual increase of the average global temperature by 0.1 degrees per year! Pointing at any one event, be it a heat wave, a tropical storm, or whatever, and exclaiming "Dude, look! It's global warming!" is asinine. --SVTCobra 14:13, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Maybe you should all shut the fuck up about your fucking views. Hotter temperatures don't start fires, in this case arsonists do. --218.215.63.62 02:59, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
 * No one said they did. --SVTCobra 16:54, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Death toll has climbed to 181 as of Friday 13th Feb, expected to rise. —153.107.103.157 02:44, 13 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Subject of high-profile Italian euthanasia case dies

February 10, 2009 , who had been in a since 1992 following an automobile accident, died Monday at the "La Quiete" clinic in, where doctors stopped feeding her four days ago. The case has sparked a debate about euthanasia, as well as a political crisis. Euthanasia is illegal in Italy, however, refusing treatment is not. On Friday doctors removed her feeding tubes in accordance with a November 2008 ruling by the that it was within her father's rights to order the cessation of feeding.

Eluana's father, Beppino Englaro, fought a ten-year battle to remove his daughter's feeding tubes. He and Eluana's friends testified that this would have been according to her own wishes.

Beppino Englaro delivered the news of Eluana's death by telling : "Yes, she has left us, but I don't want to say anything, I just want to be alone."

In an interview with  last week, Beppino Englaro said: "If she couldn't be what she was [before the 1992 accident] then she would not have wanted to live."

In the last days of Eluana's life, the Italian government, led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, sought to intervene to save her life. The Vatican backed the government's position.

At the time of her death, the was working on a law to force doctors to resume feeding Eluana. When her death was announced, the Senate held a moment of silence as a sign of respect. The legislation is continuing and could affect future right-to-die cases.

Berlusconi said that he felt "deep pain and regret" for not saving her life. On Sunday, he said, "I can guarantee on my honour and that of my ministers, that our decision was based on moral principles and there was never a plan to attack anybody."

Friday, Berlusconi had attempted to issue a decree to prevent the feeding tubes from being removed. This was however rejected by President who said it violated high court orders, triggering a constitutional crisis.

of the opposition party,, criticized the Prime Minister. "Berlusconi has little knowledge of the constitutional culture," he said. "He is a bully who wants to question the president's constitutional democratic powers."

The Maurizio Sacconi attempted to halt the proceedings on a technicality. According to his office, the court had specified for Eluana Englaro to die in a hospice, which the "La Quiete" clinic technically is not.

Eluana Englaro's long-time, Carlo Alberto Defanti, had erroneously predicted that she would survive another eight to ten days.

"Apart from her brain injuries, Eluana is a healthy woman. She has never been ill and never took antibiotics," said Dr. Defanti on Sunday. "It was something we did not foresee," he said of her death on Monday.

Defanti said he did "the right thing... I am helping a person achieve her own wish, a defenseless person who was betrayed by everyone except her father and a few other people."

Professor Antonio de Monte, an who also provided care for her said: "Eluana died 17 years ago."

At Sunday's noon blessing, said, without direct reference to the case, "Let us pray for all the sick, especially those most seriously ill, who cannot in any way provide for themselves, but are totally dependent on the care of others. Let each of them experience, in the care of those who are near them, the power of God's love and the wealth of his saving grace."

According to , opinion polls showed the people of Italy to be evenly divided 47/47, with 6 percent undecided, on the issue.

Beppino Englaro and observers have called Eluana "Italy’s Terri Schiavo" in reference to the United States Terri Schiavo case in 2005, which resulted in Terri, who was also in a vegetative state, being allowed to die after attempted legislative intervention.


text:
User talk:119.154.47.253

Tests
Please conduct tests at Sandbox, thank you. --SVTCobra 17:37, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

 * The proper syntax is February 9, 2009 . But please use the Sandbox and stop creating test pages. --SVTCobra 19:13, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Template:Date
Why not only Template:Date. Any difference?

Just want to know. nothing else..--119.154.47.253 19:16, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Without a parameter, it would constantly put in the current date, which is undesirable in our news archive. Cheers, --SVTCobra 19:19, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Welcome
Welcome!

119.154.47.253, 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
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 * Introduction - overview of the site
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 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
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 * 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
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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! --SVTCobra 19:54, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:119.154.47.253


text:
User talk:Jareder

Welcome
Welcome to Wikinews! Redvers (talk) 19:14, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Jareder


text:
Talk:No injuries, deaths after car-bomb explodes in Madrid, Spain

Title
Is there a way to make the title more "unique"? This is neither the first time, nor likely the last, that this has happened. --SVTCobra 20:19, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks, that's much better. --SVTCobra 22:11, 9 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I suggest making the title "No injuries or deaths after..." to enhance its clarity. --Arnos78 (talk) 22:33, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

The blast windows?
WTF? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.173.226.232 (talk) 01:54, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * There was a verb missing. I chose "shattered". --SVTCobra 02:09, 10 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Wikinews:Archives/Date/2009

January 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

February 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28

March 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

April 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

May 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

June 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

July 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

August 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

September 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

October 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

November 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

December 2009
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

de:Wikinews:Archiv/Hauptseite/2009 es:Wikinoticias:Archivo/2009 fr:Wikinews:2009 it:Wikinotizie:2009 nl:Wikinews:2009 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年 pt:Wikinotícias:2009

title: Wikinews:Archives/Date/2009


text:
Mayor of Flint, Michigan resigns for health reasons

February 11, 2009

Citing health reasons, the Mayor of Flint, Michigan, Don Williamson announced Monday at an 11:20 A.M. news conference that he was resigning from office effective Sunday February 15, 2009 at midnight. Williamson, age 75, indicated that he had multiple sinus infections and kidney stones since November 1 and his doctors wanted him to slow down by reducing his schedule. A number of events has lead to speculation about Williamson's resignation. His interim Police Chief, David Dicks, has been charged with defrauding the United States government stemming from the Federal investigation into his father's security company, City Security, and its contract with Career Alliance in January. Further, a recall election was scheduled for February 24. The snap selection of Michael Brown to be the new Flint City Administrator and his current City Administrator Darryl Buchanan to the non-City Charter position of "deputy mayor" last week Wednesday. Last Thursday a press conference, originally announced to explain the switch in City Administrators and the position of "deputy mayor," was canceled. And finally, on Friday the Interim Police Chief David Forystek was replaced with a new Interim Police Chief, John Keahey. This returned Forystek to department's traffic bureau.

Over the last weekend, Williamson denied the rumors. Buchanan was at the press conference while Brown did not attend.

Williamson is a multi-millionaire. He is majority stockholder and chairman of the publicly traded The Colonel's International Inc. (Nasdaq:COLO).

Williamson first stepped onto the political field by running for Mayor of Flint in 1991 but failed to get out the primary. In 1999 he lost to Woodrow Stanley in the general election. In 2003 election — the first full term election after the recall of Stanley — Williamson won the office of Mayor, while the city was still under state financial administration, succeeding Mayor James W. Rutherford into office.

In 2007, Williamson won a narrow re-election over Dayne Walling. He was only drawing a US$1 per year salary. A number of problems have cropped up since then including budget deficits, layoffs, and proposed drag strip.

Some leaders in the community that were surprised at his resignation. The Flint Journal quoted Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton as stating "I'm shocked." While County Sheriff Robert Pickell stated to the Journal that he was "absolutely shocked that the mayor resigned." Pickel added, that "with Darryl Buchanan working with Mr. Brown, it will be a good team."

City Councilor, and Williamson opponent, Scott Kincaid is quoted by ABC 12 News as stating that this "was a super-fantastic day" for the city of Flint. City Councilor Jackie Poplar said "Hallelujah!" to ABC 12.

According to the City Charter, Michael Brown as the Flint City Administrator will take over as Temporary Mayor, with no veto nor ability to remove mayorial appointees with out City Council approval. A primary will be scheduled for the May election date and the general election in August for a replacement mayor.

The recall was based on charges that Williamson mishandled city funds and misstated the status of the city's finances. An additional recall charge according to recall supporters was he disregarded public safety by moving to eliminate 59 police officers and nine firefighters.


text:
Talk:Mayor of Flint, Michigan resigns for health reasons

Cleanup
I recommend a lot less (or zero) use of subtitles and bullet-points. --SVTCobra 23:30, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

 * I'd like to know where Flint is, some suburb in Zimbabwe perhaps? --Brian McNeil / talk 15:49, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Subtitles and bullet-points removed and article retitle to comply with Wikinews title policy. It is categorized in Michigan.  I had "Flint, Michigan --" originally leading off the article like most newspapers do, but SVT Cobra edited that out.  Should I spell it out in the article?  I am not sure why the Politican category was removed by SVTCobra, too.  Any other hints on how to clean it up would be helpful as it is my first article here. --Spshu (talk) 16:09, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * "Rewrite as a news article, this looks like a Wikipedia encyclopedia entry." Hmmm... I have who (Flint Mayor Don Williamson), what (resigns from office), where (press Conf., Flint, Michigan), why (sick), when (Feb.9, resign effective 2/15).   Is there a sidebar infobox for "nuggets" of information? Or should I just link to the Wikipedia articles? --Spshu (talk) 16:31, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I thank you for the changes you made. I have done some copy-editing and submitted it for review. I removed the 'dateline' you mention above because we only use those for original reporting. Cheers, --SVTCobra 22:54, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

I found that later that found that looking through the style guide. Thanks for your help, too. --Spshu (talk) 15:14, 11 February 2009 (UTC)


title: File:10February2009.pdf


text:
'Tim Hortons' coffee shops to go 'Cold Stone'

February 10, 2009

Tim Hortons, a popular Canadian express coffee and doughnut chain, has announced that they will be co-branding with another popular chain, Cold Stone Creamery, an American ice cream parlor chain.

The deal includes a total of 100 new stores, at CA$121,690 (US$100,000) each. Each company will have 50 stores that they will build as, or convert into, dual-operation franchises. Each of the 50 stores will offer menus from each company and be located in 7 states, mostly in the Northeastern U.S..

Executives at Tim Hortons believe that mixing the two together is perfect because Tim Hortons makes most of their profit in the morning, while the Creameries are more popular in the evening. The idea proved successful when tested for three months in Rhode Island, in two different stores.

"We're very excited about the complementary daypart piece. It's something unique in what we see from a co-branding perspective," said Tim Hortons chief of operations, David Clanachan. Construction has already started and stores are expected to open in May.

Tim Hortons was founded by Canadian ice hockey player Tim Horton. The first store opened in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964. In July of 2007, there were over 2,700 locations in Canada and 500 in the U.S.. Cold Stone Creamery was founded in 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona. There are over 1,400 operation, in locations such as Japan, South Korea and the U.S..


text:
Talk:'Tim Hortons' coffee shops to go 'Cold Stone'

Stale?
It seems that this was news on February 6, when major business news sources carried this. I suspect it is stale by now. --SVTCobra 02:57, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * The sources I put in, though not Bloomberg or etc, are reliable, but are also published on February 9 if I am not mistaken. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:59, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * It is just my opinion ... I'll leave it up to others to judge. Your sources don't seem to add anything new, they just seem to recycle old news (even admittedly by QSR) --SVTCobra 03:08, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I picked the most recent on Google. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:25, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Review
Sweet! --SVTCobra 03:24, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * And sour? -- Shakata Ga Nai ^_^ 03:26, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Coffee is usually considered bitter and in my opinion better paired with sweet than sour is. Cheers, --SVTCobra 03:30, 10 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:Bestofmed

Hia. I see that you recently attempted to create several articles about Tunisia. I presume that this is either where you live, or an area that is of interest to you. I also see that we don't seem to have anyone writing articles about, well, anywhere in that region;). We desire our representation to be as broad as possible, so I hope you stay and continue to try and get articles published.

However, that said, your recent article attempts did not quite meet Wikinews' standard of publication. I've posted our welcome template above, and the three tabs contain some useful material for beginners. I don't expect you to read all of the material it links to right now (of course), but if you chose to stay on Wikinews those pages will prove a valuable resource that you can refer to over time.

For now, I'll just note a few key points:

1) News has to be new, by definition. We generally don't publish rewritten articles that are more than 3 days old (articles based on the work of other news agencies). Exceptions are made for Original Reporting, where you go out and do what might be referred to as "street journalism". IE, conducting interviews, writing stories about the events of your area, etc.

2) Every article that is a rewritten article must have *at least* 2 sources, at least one of which as to be newer than 3 days old. Original Reporting doesn't need sources, since YOU are the source, but you do have to post your notes on the article's talk page.

3) No editorials. Wikinews does not publish opinion pieces, only unvarnished facts. Editorials are for blogs.

4) The Style guide is of great help, and so is the "Article layout in a nutshell" page that is linked to in the welcome template posted above. If you have to read one thing, read that Article layout in a nutshell. That's the basic starting guide to article writing.

Once again, thanks for contributing to Wikinews! Gopher65talk 03:01, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Bestofmed


text:
User talk:Smallman12q

I rarely edit in wikinews...but perhaps an article on the beijing fire today could be included. See associated press video. A 45 story iconic building went on fire...but didn't collapse...Smallman12q (talk) 03:02, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Smallman12q


text: Talk:Subject of high-profile Italian euthanasia case dies


text:
Comments:Subject of high-profile Italian euthanasia case dies

Let her die in peace. The worst was seeing politicians and the Vatican using her case as a means to acquiring power. -Alemaco (talk) 06:29, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

DIGNITY TO DIE WITH RESPECT.
MY EX HAS COLON CANCER AND ONLY HAS 2 MONTHS OR SO TO LIVE AND EVERYONE KEEPS ON HOPING FOR A MIRACLE BUT NOT GOING TO HAPPEN SAD TO SAY BUT KEEP FORCING HIM TO LVE WHEN HE SURELY DOESN'T WANT TOO, SO MY KIDS SEE THEIR DAD IN PAIN EVERY DAY AND IT HURTS TO KNOW THAT ONE DAY THEY WAKE UP TO FIND HIM PASSED AWAY MY 10 YEAR OLD KNOWS HIS DAD IS SICK BUT DONT KNOW HOW SOON IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? SO THIS STORY KINDA IN A WAY SEEMS SIMILAR? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.99.100.200 (talk) 23:01, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * LOUD NOISES -99.247.16.231 04:53, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
 * 7/16 of an inch man. Fephisto (talk) 11:25, 14 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:61.9.6.228

Welcome
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title: User talk:61.9.6.228


text:
Israel elects 18th Knesset

February 14, 2009 The centrist Kadima Party won a plurality of the seats in Knesset, the Israel parliament, in beating out the right-wing Likud Party by a single seat.

The ninth and current Shimon Peres will call on, Kadima party leader to attempt to form a government through a coalition. This will be difficult for Livini as Hard line parties including Likud won a majority of the seats in the Knesset. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu might be tapped to form a coalition government if Livni fails. 65.2% percent of the voting population voted on Tuesday.

The key issue which has faced some 5.3 million registered voters, in 9,000 polling stations nationwide is which leader can best assure the security of the state while chances of a peace deal seem remote amid a campaign that generated little enthusiasm.

Political analysts are predicting that Mr. Netanyahu, not Ms. Livni, will be asked by Israel's president to form the next government.

Both Ms. Livni and Mr. Netanyahu are courting the third-place Party, headed by. Yisrael Beitenu party which won 15 seats is seen as critical in securing the 61 seats required in the country's 120-seat parliament.

Another possible political scenario would be a power-sharing government between Ms. Livni and Mr. Netanyahu, in which each leader would serve as prime minister for two years, rotating midway through the four year term.

"Netanyahu and Livni complement one another. You have the common sense of Livni and the broader strategic vision of Netanyahu. Bibi needs her and she needs him,” said, a senior Israeli academic and deputy director of the National Security Studies Center at the , where he also serves as a senior lecturer in the School of Political Sciences.

The Knesset (כנסת) is the legislature of Israel, located in, Jerusalem. It was first convened on February 14, 1949, following the. As the legislative branch of the, it enacts laws, elects the president and prime minister (although s/he is ceremonially appointed by the President), supervises the work of the government, reserves the power to remove the and the  from office and to dissolve itself and call new elections.

The composition of the current Knesset was determined by the, the. Though it has not yet happened in the current session, in every Knesset to date (save the remarkably stable 1955 ), parties have split up during the Knesset's term, leading to the creation of new parties or resulting in MKs sitting as independents.

Last December, a record 43 parties had registered with the parties registrar, compared to 31 for the, although in the end, only 34 parties submitted a list of candidates. On 12 January 2009, and the – alliance were disqualified by the  on the grounds that they failed to recognise Israel as a Jewish state and called for armed conflict against it. Balad and Ta'al were also disqualified from the, but won a case which allowed them to run. On January 21, the Supreme Court, by a vote of 8 to 1, again revoked the ban.

Every 4 years (or sooner if an early election is called, as is often the case), 120 members of the Knesset (MKs) are elected by Israeli citizens who must be at least 18 years old to vote. The must be approved by a majority vote of the Knesset. 120 seats are allocated by, using the. The for the 2006 election was set at 2% (up from 1.5% in previous elections), which is a little over two seats.

After official results are published (on February 18, in this election), the President of Israel delegates the task of forming a government to the Member of Knesset with the best chance of assembling a majority coalition (usually the leader of the largest party.) That designee has up to 42 days to negotiate with the different parties, and then present his government to the Knesset for a. Once the government is approved (by a vote of at least 61 members), he/she becomes.

Kadima leaders believe that Livni can form a coalition with at least Labor, Meretz and Israel Beiteinu. Livni and Netanyahu have started meeting with potential government coalition partners, Livni with Avigdor Lieberman of ultranational party, and Netanyahu with  of the, an ultra-Orthodox party.

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (בִּנְיָמִין "ביבי" נְתַנְיָהוּ) was the 9th (June 1996 to July 1999) and is Chairman of the conservative Likud Party. He is the first (and to date only) Prime Minister of Israel to be born after the State of Israel's.

Netanyahu was until 9 August 2005, having resigned in protest at the   advocated by Prime Minister. He retook the Likud leadership on 20 December 2005.

As of December 2006, he became the official leader of the Opposition in the Knesset and Chairman of the Likud Party. In August 2007 he retained the Likud leadership by beating in party elections.

On May 4, 2006, (אהוד אולמרט) became the 12th and current. He was the of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003, was elected to the Knesset and became a minister and an  in the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

On January 4, 2006, after Sharon suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke, Olmert began exercising the powers of the office of Prime Minister. He led Kadima to a victory in the (just two months after Sharon had suffered his stroke) and continued on as Acting Prime Minister.

On April 14, 2006, Sharon was declared permanently incapacitated, allowing Olmert to legally become. On 4 May, 2006, Olmert and his new, post-election government were approved by the Knesset, thus Olmert officially became Prime Minister of Israel.

Olmert faced corruption charges amid a challenge for leadership from Kadima by Foreign Minister (ציפורה מלכה "ציפי" לבני), age 50, the  and. Livini is a lawyer, mother-of-two and former agent for Israel's foreign intelligence agency who has moved from a strongly Zionist nationalist background to become a leading Israeli advocate of a two-state solution with Palestinians.

On July 30, 2008, Olmert announced that he would not seek re-election as party leader and that he would resign from his position as Prime Minister immediately after a new Kadima leader was named. On September 17, 2008, Livni and became the new leader of the Kadima party. She sought to form a new government that would gain support from a majority of the Knesset.

After failing to reach agreement with various parties, Livni's attempts at forming a new government were unsuccessful and instead. Aside from Livini and Netanyahu, the other candidates were, the 10th , and current , and leader of Israel's centre-left , and Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the far-right party.

The hiatus allowed Olmert to cling to his Prime Minister post for at least a further five months as head of a. On December, 2008,. The February 10 election came three weeks after a 22-day Israel–Gaza conflict, where Israeli military offensive in the Palestinian-ruled killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

Meanwhile, Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu faction received 15 Knesset seats, thereby holding the key to the makeup of the 18th Knesset, has on Thursday unexpectedly departed for vacation abroad, leaving his suitors from Kadima and Likud -- as well as the Israeli public -- in the dark about his intentions.

“Our position is already clear and I know exactly what I am going to tell President Shimon Peres. [But] in order to know whom we are going to recommend, we will wait six more days,” Lieberman said. “I think it is too early and there is no point saying whom we support. I have met with both Livni and Netanyahu and with additional people in the political system but my position is already clear and solid. When we go to the President we will say very clear things,” he added.

Final, Unofficial* Results
The, charged under the 1969 to carry out the elections for the Knesset has planned to release the final results on February 18 after tallying more than 150,000 ballots, consisting mainly of votes of absentees (those from abroad - soldiers in military camps and foreign service staff, overseas diplomat missions, prisoners, hospital staff, and surplus votes that are calculated to move to other parties to form the final results within 48 hours of the closing of the polls).

These remaining votes could tip the balance in the gridlocked election and determine the leadership. The elections officials have also released the. *The Knesset Board of Elections on Thursday states on their site that results are "final but not official."

The unofficial election results (based on 99.7% of votes) has raised one question - whether Netanyahu might be chosen to serve as Prime Minister, given Likud's possible political ability to form a coalition with Yisrael Beiteinu. Another alternative was for Kadima to form a national unity government. But this has seemed unlikely given that it would probably require Tzipi Livni to win Likud's support for any such unity coalition.

The real resolution of the electoral deadlock has hinged on the actions of President Shimon Peres, age, 85, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, as the official in charge of deciding which party should be chosen to form a governing coalition. Observers have pointed to his personal political similarities with Livni as one possible reason for choosing Kadima. On the other hand, Netanyahu's ability to form a true coalition also seemed like one significant consideration.

However, the stability of a right-wing/religious coalition is questionable. The six right wing parties control just 65 seats, leaving such a coalition vulnerable to internal dissention. In any case, President Peres has announced that he will not entertain any attempts to form a government until February 18, when the final results will be certified.

President has phoned Peres Wednesday and wished him well in overseeing the formation of a new government. “You have only two political parties -- we have 12,” Peres told Obama. The new coalition government that emerges after February 18, whether it is led by hard-line Netanyahu or his moderate rival, Tzipi Livni, is likely to find common ground on two burning issues: Hamas and Iran.

Two dire scenarios emerged Wednesday as President Obama faces double dilemmas in Mideast: a narrow coalition of hawks who would stall peacemaking with the Palestinians and a power-sharing arrangement that would give Israel a more moderate face and greater international support.

"We want to do things differently in the region. That would involve accelerating efforts to promote Mideast peace talks as well as having discourse with Iran in an environment of mutual respect," Obama said at his White House news conference Monday. "We certainly hope that a new (Israeli) government will continue to pursue a path to peace. I see no reason to think a new government would do something otherwise," spokesman Robert Wood said.

"Divisions in the Israeli electorate are likely to create 'paralysis in the political process' during the period of coalition building and perhaps beyond. This could lead to an extended "hiatus" in peacemaking while the Palestinians confront their own deep political divisions. Nevertheless, the United States should work hard to firm up the Gaza cease-fire and not to give up on the longer-term goal of a two-state solution," said, a former top U.S. diplomat in the Mideast and a recent adviser to Barack Obama.

"The Israeli political system has been fractured and at odds with itself for many years, so having an outcome in which the two big blocs--the center-right and moderate-right blocs--split the vote was not at all unexpected. There will be a paralysis in the political process, certainly during the period of coalition building and perhaps even beyond, depending on what kind of coalition emerges. The hiatus in peacemaking could be rather extended," he explained.

title: Israel elects 18th Knesset


text:
Talk:Israel elects 18th Knesset

I CREATED this interesting news article on Israel's elections, I am developing it still waiting for the outcome tomorrow. I am Philippines Judge Florentino Floro, having registered with Wikinews on December 3, 2008, and is a Editor as of January 12, 2009.
 * In having written more than "62 articles" (here - User:Florentino Floro/MyList and in Wikipedia Encyclopedia User:Florentino Floro/MyList2), I live with my Philosophy and hope to elevate Wikinwews to the phenomenal success of Wikipedia encyclopedia, by writing very comprehensive, detailed and fully synthesized news, amid collaboration of editors and the final touch of the reviewer. Please do not be annoyed if sometimes, (due to stress and human factor - plus the fact that as lawyer and judge, I never ever had enrolled in any journalism subject), I would tend to relax the copyright rules and style guide, but, without however, violating the SPIRIT AND INTENT of both international law of copyright, and Wikinews rules on style guide. REST ASSURED, that in writing every news article, I VALUE fairness, justice, integrity and honesty. This is what NEWS WRITING is all about. Please help in publishing this news. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:04, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Israel is a parliamentary system
They don't vote on prime minister, they vote for parties. The title is misleading ... also the results aren't in yet. --SVTCobra 23:36, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, yes, thanks. Actually, like our country during Martial law. In 1981, we had the parliamentary form, where Marcos was voted Prime Minister by the Batasang Pambansa, and the people or electorate, voted for the assemblymen. So, here, Israel votes for the seats and then the 13th PM will be elected by the parliament. Anyway, like in the Ghana article I just prepared this, as prepared story without a tag. It is expected that due to the photo finish, the results will be delayed. Thanks.--Florentino Floro (talk) 11:50, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Source - Analysis: Obama faces double dilemmas in Mideast--Florentino Floro (talk) 10:41, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

Review

 * Done, I missed these:Daniel Hershkovitz

Tzipi Livni--Florentino Floro (talk) 08:02, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Typo
"Independance" => "Independence" Van der Hoorn (talk) 12:14, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * ✅ -- Sken   my talk 10:35, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

Commons dupe
editprotected Please replace File:Shimon Peres (2009).jpg with File:Shimon Peres at 2009 WEF.jpg. -- Cecil (talk) 08:55, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Fixed! Thanks for reporting. Cheers, Van der Hoorn (talk) 23:47, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Wikify
Wikify •–• 13:51, 17 May 2018 (UTC)

 * Done. Likely redundant and missing links. --Pi zero (talk) 04:46, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:Israel elects 18th Knesset


text:
500 stranded melon-headed whales rescued in Philippine bay

February 14, 2009 Philippine fishermen, volunteers and authorities with dozens of fishing boats have joined hands in guiding back to sea about 500 disorientated melon-headed whales that were stranded in the shallow waters near the mouth of Manila Bay delta in the Bataan Peninsula.

The gentle mammals were first spotted swimming back and forth and straying very dangerously close (about a mile or 1.6 kilometers) to the shores of the coastal towns of Pilar, Orion and Abucay 135 kilometers northwest of Manila at around at around 4:00 am on Tuesday, said Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Luis Tuazon and Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia Jr.

The Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said its has responded to the reported mass "stranding" of whales off Pilar coastal waters in the province of Bataan where the famous and historic Corregidor Island is located.

Using dozens of fishing boats with machines shut down and bare hands, more than 100 village fishermen and volunteers along with BFAR, local police and Philippine Coast Guard personnel have joined the massive rescue. With great difficulty, the emergency team has waded into the chest-deep water, clapping their hands and hitting the surface to guide and drive the whales farther away from the coastal shore to deeper waters.

"The mammals were at first thought to have been dolphins, but experts then identified them as melon-headed whales," local veterinarian Mariel Flores said. "This type of whale can be easily mistaken for dolphins because of their size and their teeth, which resemble those of dolphins. The mammals have ears that are sensitive to large changes in pressure underwater," she added.

"It looked like they never wanted to leave. They looked sad,” said Rodolfo Joson, a village councilor. Joson and his son, Joey, a fisherman like him, have rushed home at about 4 a.m. to report the pod sighting. “It was still dark when we waded into the water. The whales were about 200 meters from the shore. The water was up to my neck. We first checked their conditions by playing with them. They did not repel us or leave. They were making hooting sounds,” Joson explained the mass beaching. “It seemed they were running away from waters that they didn’t like. Dolphins are happy and strong creatures. They raced with ships,” he added.

A post-mortem examination has revealed that four dead whales found beached farther up north in Abucay, Bataan, include two adult females, one of which was pregnant, while the other gave birth to a calf that also died, said Dr. Lemnuel Aragones of Ocean Adventure in Subic Freeport who did the necropsy at the Bataan fisheries office in Balanga City.

This is the first time that such large numbers of dolphins had been stranded in the Philippines. "We are trying to come up with a possible explanation to this unusual occurrence. It could be that the dolphins had lost their bearings and inadvertently ended up on the shallow portion of the coast unable to extricate themselves," said Dr Lemuel Aragones, Associate Professor at the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology.

Dr Aragones, who holds a PhD on Tropical Environmental Studies (Marine Ecology) from Australia's James Cook University, explained that "the melon-headed whales of the dolphin family have sophisticated navigation systems that operate on a principle similar to sonar instruments used in submarines. Like humans, dolphins also follow a 'leader' of their pod. It is possible that the leader of this dolphin [pod] had somehow lost its way. In turn, the leader’s acoustic system, which serves as its guidance system, might have been impaired," the marine expert elaborated.

Dr Aragones said "BFAR, UPIESM, and the Ocean Adventure Marine Park in Subic started the Philippine Marine Mammals Stranding Network (PMMSN) in 2005 as a response to cetacean strandings or beachings." She cited the PMMSN training received by BFAR officers in Bataan during Tuesday's mass beaching. She has asked the government to release funds for marine mammal studies.

The two adults had damaged eardrums, Alberto Venturina, the provincial veterinarian, said. "Dolphins with injured eardrums become disoriented, cannot dive for food and are too weak to swim and just flow with the current. If it's a sick leader, the animal needs to be identified and taken out of sight of the rest of the pod so the healthy dolphins could be prodded back to sea," he added."The two animals were identified as melon-headed dolphins, weighing about 250 to 300 kilograms (550 to 660 pounds)," explained Venturina, adding "the third dolphin was only a month old and measured barely a meter long. Its gender had not yet been determined."

According to Nelson Bien, head of the Fisheries Resource and Management Division of BFAR Region III, a necropsy by BFAR, the provincial veterinarian, and veterinarians from the Ocean Adventure in Subic Freeport has traced the cause of their death to drowning.

The marine doctors have determined that the marine mammals might have drowned after failing to extricate themselves from the fishing nets or "baklad," explained Dr. Mundita Lim, director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). “There were no injuries to their ears, like visible lesions, but the possibility of an acoustic problem or trauma is still there,” Dr Lim explained, saying, "more tests, like analysis of tissue samples and MRI tests will have to be done to see if there were other injuries to the animals not visible externally."

They are sending tissue samples to the University of Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna for analysis. “If it was something like climate change, then it would be a bigger environmental problem,” Lim added.

A fourth and pregnant one was also found dead in the village of Tortugas in the town of Balanga, Bataan, said Bien, saying they were investigating the incident and would conduct a “water quality and water parameter test” to determine why the dolphins beached to shallow waters. The condition of melon-headed whale found at Talisay River and taken to Ocean Adventure in Subic Freeport has improved amid forced feeding and treatment of its 2 wounds, said Nilo Ramoso, Biologist III, Pawikan Conservation Project.

Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR Center chief in Dagupan City, has reported that BFAR personnel were also investigating a “problem in the water, probably chemical pollution,” to explain why the dolphins beached and sought shelter in the shallow waters. The dolphins have faced the same direction and their blowholes above water, they seemed to be avoiding something. “The dolphins were behaving in the same way, they have the same action. People were trying to drive them back into the sea but they refused. There could be chemical pollution somewhere which they were avoiding,” Rosario explained.

Dolphins' disorientation is sometimes caused by the changes in earth's magnetic field “that cause the dolphins’ navigational mechanisms to go haywire,” Dr. Edgardo Gomez, professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, said, adding that "it could also be chemicals in the water that affected the dolphins, although this should be proven by water tests." Philippine marine biologist Rizza Salinas said a possible cause for the stranding of large pods of distressed whales is that there could have been illegal dynamite fishing in the area.

“This is very strange. What is also unusual is they appeared disoriented. I am on my way to Bataan on board BFAR’s patrol vessel. We will look into the situation. Our patrol boats are also on their way to the area. We are also getting experts on stranding," said BFAR director Malcolm Sarmiento Jr. Sarmiento, explaining that the highest number of stranded dolphins recorded by the BFAR was only 20 to 30. "It's something unusual. It's the first time that such a large pod has entered Manila Bay, and is acting strangely," Sarmiento added.

"Most strandings are caused by seaquakes, heat wave or disturbances at sea. Such disturbances affect the pressure underwater, which subsequently affects the dolphins’ eardrums and sense of balance, leading to their "disorientation." The creatures then will avoid diving in deeper parts of the ocean and will swim to shallow areas. They came from the north and were headed towards the South China Sea," Sarmiento explained, adding that the unusual occurrence may have also been caused when the pod could have been following a sick or injured leader.

Sarmiento has appealed to the public not to inflict harm on the dolphins, which are considered threatened species. "Please do not harm the dolphins because they are already endangered. The authorities should also prevent the people who want to inflict harm on the creatures. They should be arrested, if needed." Melon-head dolphins are considered threatened species — meaning they are likely to become endangered in the future.

"At around 12 noon, the dolphins were finally guided to the open seas, but residents in Hermosa near Mariveles were surprised to see the dolphins near their shoreline, but around 4:30 pm, all the dolphins have left the shoreline and swam towards into deeper waters," said Governor Garcia.

"The dolphins swam parallel back to Abucay, Hermosa, and Manila Bay before they were eventually herded farther offshore. There are theories that this phenomenon was a result of the Monday night lunar eclipse. The Fisheries Bureau will know after their tests,” Garcia added.

Having suspected the dolphins’ habitat must have been disrupted, forcing them to flee and seek refuge in shallow waters, Senate of the Philippines Majority Leader, Juan Miguel Zubiri on Tuesday asked experts to probe the cause of the sudden appearance of more than 300 electra dolphins near the shores of Pilar town in Bataan province Tuesday morning.

Senator Zubiri wanted the experts to examine the possibility that an earthquake study, involving an undersea experiment using blasting in the South China Sea by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (L-DEO) - a collaborator of Columbia University - caused the abnormal behavior of the small whales.

Citing an International Union for Conservation of Nature research concluding that the melon-headed whales may have been distracted by the South China Sea study, forcing the dolphins to wander in the shallow waters, Senator Zubiri said that “the earthquake study is a sea floor investigation project in the exclusive economic zone that includes Taiwan, China, Japan and the Philippines for its earthquake research. On top of saving stranded dolphins, we should find the cause for the tragedy in order to avoid them in the future and to be prepared when it occurs again," he explained.

But according to Erlinton Olavare, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) science research specialist, “no significant event was recorded by their stations in Bolinao, Sta. Cruz and Lubag, near Pilar at the time the dolphins were stranded Tuesday."

Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr. said Bataan Gov. Enrique “Tet” Garcia on Wednesday confirmed there was dynamite fishing in his province. “I asked him [Garcia] and he confirmed it. He also said he was battling this illegal activity,” said Atienza. “The causes of the acoustic trauma could have been sound waves caused by dynamite fishing or sounds emitted by passing ships or seaquakes,” Gov. Garcia said.

"Dolphins are a 'cohesive' group and that they follow where their leader takes them. If the leader of the dolphins was sick, then the animal could have committed a “navigational error” and led the rest of the group to shore," said the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

"The pod of melon-headed whales (dolphins) on Manila Bay were injured by a rather nasty group of more than 120 undersea earthquakes. The swarm started with a small magnitude-4.5 event on December 21, 2008. Things got red-hot on January 3, 2009 when a magnitude-7.6 event erupted near the water’s edge on Papua Island in Indonesia, 700 miles southeast of Davao City in Mindanao. The 7.6 magnitude quake was followed by more than 120 major aftershocks each one capable by itself of inflicting injury on a pod of dolphins," said Capt. David Williams, a retired marine mammal researcher, a commercial sea captain for 40 years and active whale conservationist.

Capt. Williams explained that whales and dolphins have small air sacs (pterygoid sinuses) that surround each inner ear and help then sense sound direction underwater. A damaged pterygoid air sac results in the loosing of echonavigation and echolocation. "In summary, my Seaquake Theory indicates that barotrauma, as a result of exposure to potent earthquake-induced changes in ambient pressure, solves the centuries-old mystery of why whales and dolphins mass-strand on beaches around the world," Capt. Williams concluded.

An explosive blast and explosive decompression create a pressure wave that can induce barotrauma. The difference in pressure between internal organs and the outer surface of the body causes injuries to internal organs that contain gas, such as the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and ear.

According to the Natural History Museum experts, whale and dolphins can become confused, mis-read the Earth's magnetic fields, fear certain sounds and get lost. Since 1913, it has investigated all strandings, more than 11,000 so far, and it runs the UK Whale and Dolphin Stranding Scheme.

New Zealand's Project Jonah has claimed that the largest recorded beach stranding was in 1918 when 1,000 pilot whales were stranded on New Zealand's Chatham Islands.

The last mass beaching in the Philippines was in 1956 when around 12 sperm whales were stranded in a coastal area in Capiz, amid at least 10 yearly strandings that happened in the country involving only one or two animals that were either sick or dying.

Last January this year, Filipino fishermen have also rescued an endangered sea cow. The fishermen aided the beached sea cow to the deep sea, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

The Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra; many-toothed blackfish and electra dolphin) is a cetacean of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). As small members of the dolphin group, it is closely related to the Pygmy Killer Whale and Pilot Whale, and collectively these dolphin species are known by the common name blackfish.

The tender mammal can grow up to 2.7 meters (9 feet) and weigh as much as 210 kilograms (460 pounds). With black triangular “mask” on its face, it appears dark gray to black in color, has no discernible beak and its head is shaped like a rounded melon, thus the name. Its primary diet is squid and fish. The Melon-headed whale lives well off-shore in all the world's tropical and sub-tropical oceans.

At the northern fringes of its range it may also be found in the warm currents of temperate waters. Ordinarily, however, it is found beyond the continental shelf between 20° S and 20° N. The Melon-headed whale is widespread throughout the world's tropical waters, although not often seen by humans on account of its preference for deep water. It has been found in Ireland, Hawaii and Cebu, in the Philippines.

As social species, they are covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 in the United States. In July 2004, between 150 and 200 melon-headed whales occupied the shallow waters of Kauai island in Hawaii for over 28 hours, after which, they were rescued and guided to deeper water. This incident may have been related to nearby United States Navy sonar exercise.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which includes the melon-headed whales in its Red List of threatened species said that the number of whales involved in mass stranding had increased in the last 30 years.

"The melon-headed whales are likely to be “vulnerable” to loud sounds, such as those generated by navy sonar and seismic exploration. Evidence from stranded whales also has indicated that they may have died after swallowing plastic items. It has been predicted that the whales will be affected by global climate change, but the impact is still unclear," the IUCN explained.


text:
Talk:500 stranded melon-headed whales rescued in Philippine bay

I CREATED this interesting news article on 500 rescued dolphins. I am Philippines Judge Florentino Floro, having registered with Wikinews on December 3, 2008, and is a Editor as of January 12, 2009.
 * In having written more than "62 articles" (here - User:Florentino Floro/MyList and in Wikipedia Encyclopedia User:Florentino Floro/MyList2), I live with my Philosophy and hope to elevate Wikinwews to the phenomenal success of Wikipedia encyclopedia, by writing very comprehensive, detailed and fully synthesized news, amid collaboration of editors and the final touch of the reviewer. Please do not be annoyed if sometimes, (due to stress and human factor - plus the fact that as lawyer and judge, I never ever had enrolled in any journalism subject), I would tend to relax the copyright rules and style guide, but, without however, violating the SPIRIT AND INTENT of both international law of copyright, and Wikinews rules on style guide. REST ASSURED, that in writing every news article, I VALUE fairness, justice, integrity and honesty. This is what NEWS WRITING is all about. Please help in publishing this news. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 11:03, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Other minor sources:

Over 300 Stranded Dolphins Lead To Open Seas PHOTO: People Help Dolphins from Getting Stranded Stranded dolphins found way to open seas, Bataan governor says 100 Dolphins Stranded in Shallow Waters of the Philippines
 * --Florentino Floro (talk) 15:02, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Feb. 11, sources, some duplicates and minor sources were transferred here, since the images are worth seeing.

Condition of Melon-headed Whale taken to Subic improves Joy as villagers drive 300 confused dolphins back to safety of the sea Stranded dolphins driven back--Florentino Floro (talk) 10:09, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

dolphins vs whales
The article seems to contradict itself by first saying they are whales, then saying they are dolphins, then saying they are whales but part of the dolphin family. This is quite confusing. Bawolff ☺☻ 07:00, 15 February 2009 (UTC)

Yes, I agree, even the marine scientists are confused
Sorry for the late reply, did'nt notice this. On top of the article, I put the naming by the Veterinarian as authoritative = whales. Down, Dr. Aragones said: Whales in the dolphin family, which is correct as our Wikipedia has classified correctly. So, they are really whales in the dolphin family. Journalists are not to be blamed, so here, I put it rightly.

I forgot this beautiful video and the images

 * --Florentino Floro (talk) 08:09, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

 * --Florentino Floro (talk) 08:10, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * --Florentino Floro (talk) 08:10, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

Span based paramater cannot contain soft newlines..
editprotected In the quoted commented using QuoteRight, there is a trailing 'soft' newline for one or more of the parameters. This seemingly breaks the SPAN based formatting used. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 18:29, 9 September 2020 (UTC)
 * The parameter is explicitly named. Explicitly named parameters are trimmed, so the soft newline should be stripped off.  If some software identifies that as a problem (even if it's special lint thing within the wiki platform), that software is broken. --Pi zero (talk) 23:46, 9 September 2020 (UTC)