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Wikinews:Writing contest

Over the 50 days of the competition some 224 articles were written for the contest! Congrats to all participants!

The Wikinews Writing Contest is a competition among Wikinews authors which aims to increase the overall output of stories. It is primarily a contest of quantity and only secondarily one of quality.

The contest opened on March 21, 2005. The rules are simple:

 * 1) There is an ever-growing pool of money and prizes contributed.
 * 2) Contestants have to start at least one Wikinews article every day (at least 3 paragraphs of their original writing per article). For this contest, "every day" means one article for each day of the week in your timezone (i.e. a submission on 00:01 on Thursday and 23:59 on Friday would still count).
 * 3) The articles should strive to follow conventions. Articles which the community decides to delete cannot be counted.
 * 4) The last person who is left writing one article per day takes all the prizes.

No excuses: If you don't meet your one article per day requirement, you're out. In other words, this is a contest of endurance. It is possible, but unlikely, that it will never end.

Contest Ending
Since Erik has resigned and we have passed the May 1st deadline; I as the only active remaining judge officially end this writing contest. As Pingswepts proposal attracted near universal acceptance the disbursal of prizes is as follows:

 * Alan gets $50 from DV, a stolen possession of SJ's from me, and a postcard from Pingswept.
 * Simeon gets $50 from DV, a stolen possession of SJ's from me, a postcard from Pingswept, and the Gmail invites.
 * Pingswept gets $20 from Davodd and enough $CA from Amgine to total $50, and a postcard from the Bellman.
 * DV and Odigity each pay the Wikimedia Foundation $41 ($1/day).
 * The "strange, bizarre gift" gets sent by DV to Jimmy Wales on behalf of Wikinews.

Congrats to all on a highly successful contest, the contest generated a total of 224 stories - that means more than 1 in 8 Wikinews articles are direct results of this contest! → CGorman (Talk)  17:18, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

 * Phew! Thank god that's over! It's surpisingly taxing to file a story every single day by the deadline without fail, without break. Thanks to all involved for their efforts! DV, what do you need in order to transfer $$$? And I guess CGorman will want to know address to send dirty old sox from SJ ... I will email it. - Simeon 12:38, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

Registration
If you want to participate in the contest, sign your name below (type " # ~ "). Please also indicate your timezone (if you don't know it, the country / state you live in are sufficient).

 * 1) I'll give it a try as I normally write one a day. CGorman 21:09, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * CGorman dropped out on March 23 as a personal choice, he wished to participate as a judge (see comment on Eriks talk page.) CGorman 20:12, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) Heh, why not! This should be fun! IlyaHaykinson 09:46, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) (I'm in the US, PST — UTC-8)
 * 2) Heck, why not (part 2). We'll be getting a lot of U.S. law and TV-related stuff from me. -- Davodd | Talk  00:45, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 3) This ought to be a cakewalk (famous last words). Can I build a surplus by writing more than one article per day so I can take a break on the weekends? — DV 06:20, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm filing stories for each day using server time, so please count me in timezone UTC 0 — DV 21:06, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) I'm in, until I set sail (you're all going to drop out then, out of honour and the goodness of your hearts then, right?) - Amgine 06:39, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Amgine dropped out on March 27 because no article was submitted. → CGorman (Talk)  16:26, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) come on ppls ill take ya... until i get a whole heap of uni assignment that have to be done all at once... The bellman 10:41, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 2) To all my devoted fans, i would like to say i tried as hard as i could... i just ended up not being able to cut the mustard.  ~The bellman | Smile  09:05, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 3) This is such a cool idea! (But why the hell am I always last to know?! :) ) Dan100 (Talk) 17:38, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Dan100 dropped out on March 22 because he did not submit an article for March 21.--Eloquence 08:23, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Sadly work caught up with me the week this started (yeah yeah, any excuse I know :) ) Dan100 (Talk) 22:34, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) I hope deletion requests count!   edw 02:04, 16 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Ed dropped out on March 23 because he did not submit an article for March 22.--Eloquence 07:49, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) I will defeat all of you in hand-to-hand combat if necessary. Pingswept 04:44, 16 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 2) Let the best man win. And rest asured I will. Amsterdam time = GMT+1-- Redge (Talk) 12:50, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Redge dropped out on March 26: no article submitted.--Eloquence 12:44, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) Sounds interesting. (PST=UTC-8) VF 06:31, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * 2) If I don't do this, I'll forget to keep my guard up while ping's in da house.   Sj 03:46, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Dropping out.  But barring the windows... Sj
 * OK, I'm in, but I think it could have done with a little more publicity - I only found out today! My timezone: GMT +10 Melbourne Australia Simeon 05:57, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Late entry: article debt
It is possible to join the contest after March 21, but you will have accumulated an article debt for the days you have not participated. For example, if you join on March 25, you have an article debt of 4 articles. This debt can be worked off over time, but while you still have it, you have to write at least 2 articles per day instead of just 1.

April 30

 * Simeon finishes: First photo of a planet that orbits another sun
 * Alan crosses the finish line: New drug from lizard's saliva
 * Cheers all around from Pingswept: BBC News website expands RSS license terms to allow commercial use

April 29
Alan says I'm still kickin': Grenade attack on fellow soldiers puts sergeant on death row and I need a second on my motion to end the contest on it's talk page.
 * Simeon still in: Vindicated Thai GM activists face gaol all the same
 * Pingswept: FOX News previews Grafton Street restaurant and "voice collector" in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts

April 28

 * Simeon still in: UK govt concealed Attorney General's doubts over Iraq invasion
 * Pingswept! Woot!: Indiana Pacers beat Boston Celtics again to lead series 2-1 in US basketball playoffs
 * Alan: Berlusconi warns U.S. on agent's killing
 * Rare woodpecker discovered in Arkansas

April 27

 * Simeon's entry: CIA gives up search and interrogation on Iraq WMDs
 * Alan stays: Dorothy's dress from Wizard of Oz sells for 140,000 pounds
 * Pingswept goes hyperlocal: Harvard University officials update Agassiz Neighborhood Council about local construction in Cambridge, Massachusetts

April 26

 * Simeon stays in: Argentinian workers preparing to defend control of factory
 * Grade: 4/5 (well-written, detailed, many sources)--Eloquence 08:40, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Alan stays: UAL jet diverts in bomb scare
 * Grade: 2/5 (good, short summary, but doesn't add to the original text)--Eloquence 08:40, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Pingswept stays in: Wikipedia founder speaks at US law school
 * Grade: 4/5 (great example of original reporting, but -1 because it's self-referential)--Eloquence 08:40, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

April 25

 * Simeon stays in: Study: Children who socialise more, get cancer less -- few minutes over deadline perhaps .. blame the slow server ;)
 * Grade: 3/5 (detailed, but second to last paragraph is a bit weak, and source annotation shouldn't be written in the first person)--Eloquence 08:35, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Alan hangs in, but his story has no legs: Skydiver dies after legs severed in jump
 * Grade: 2/5 (succinct)--Eloquence 08:35, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Pingswept stays in: Indiana Pacers beat Boston Celtics by 3 in game 2 of US basketball playoffs
 * Grade: 2/5 (original reporting bonus, but reporting component is not explained, and source not properly formatted at time of submission)--Eloquence 08:35, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

April 24

 * Simeon stays in: 5-year-old girl arrested and handcuffed by Florida police
 * Alan stays: Bush nomination to UN post faces bi-partisan problems
 * Pingswept doesn't go: Violence, allegations of fraud disrupt election in Togo

April 23

 * Simeon stays in: Controversial Queensland Premier of 19 years dies at 94
 * Pingswept adds: Google translates Gmail to 12 languages, asks for volunteers to target 144 more
 * Alan continues: Judges rule patrons may sue nude bars for lap-dance overcharges

April 22

 * Simeon definitely beat the deadline this time: Advertising contract scandal could bring down Canadian government
 * Alan stays in: NASA study: warming and snow melt chokes sea life 1000 miles distant
 * Pingswept adds: Elite Boston Marathon runner Emily Levan discusses life and running

April 21

 * Simeon's submission: Melbourne's tram-driving teen faces more charges
 * Alan offers: Hundreds of thousands to lose 'fresh start' as Bush signs bankruptcy bill and New England Senators brawl over imported pharmaceuticals as an extra in case I must miss a day (? without objections?) or simply as a second article for today.
 * I've tried this before. It doesn't work. Judges ruling: can't submit articles in advance. :\ Probably just as well or this comp. would never finish. - Simeon 08:38, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 *  no problem...it could get dicey I agree. --HiFlyer 15:58, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Pingswept proffers: Boston Cyberarts Festival opens with Hotel@MIT gala (please note Stephen Wolfram photo!)

April 20

 * Pingswept stays in: Radioactive soil from Maine reactor refused at landfill in Utah
 * Simeon stays in: Australian blitz on fish poaching
 * Alan stays in: Italian PM Berlusconi resigns to form stronger coalition

April 19

 * Simeon stays in: Teen tram thief may yet work as tram driver
 * Alan in: Associated Press changes online fee structure to meet Internet demands
 * Pingswept still in: Associated Press will charge for online content in 2006 (What happened to the judges?) (And sorry about the duplicate, Alan)
 * No problem, my friend. Just keep 'em coming in ;-)) --HiFlyer 14:37, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Judges are still here, not much to do other than verify you are following the rules... and you all are. → CGorman (Talk)  20:22, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

April 18

 * Simeon stays in: Unconfirmed: 20 dead, 500 hurt after protest in Iranian city of Ahwaz
 * Yes, it's very very early on April 18, Melbourne time :)

 * Alan stays in: Survivors gather to remember 1906 San Francisco quake
 * Congrats, Alan, for riding out your article debt! - Simeon 14:55, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Pingswept: 109th Boston marathon takes place

April 17

 * Pingswept is not giving up: Kenyan aviation union threatens government with strike
 * Simeon stays in: Internet censorship study group reports on China
 * Congratulations Alan if you made it this far! Simeon 18:05, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Thank you my friend. And congratulations to you with your new Admin responsibilities. I think it's wonderful to watch WN go thru a growth spurt. --HiFlyer 21:24, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Alan:
 * Russian Soyuz docks with International Space Station for crew change
 * Freak wave rocks luxury liner--4 hurt
 * Article Debt Reduced To ZERO

April 16

 * Pingswept survives another day: Harvard University declines to discipline professor who plagiarized
 * Simeon stays in: Paris hotel fire kills 21
 * Alan's contributions:
 * "Levitra" ads pulled by FDA
 * NRA meets in Houston--Beleaguered Tom DeLay will speak
 * Article Debt reduced to ONE

April 15

 * Pingswept stays in: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, releases study of local emissions
 * Simeon stays in: Australian police seize one tonne shipment of ecstacy
 * Alan stays in:
 * Utah Man puts murdered wife in dumpster
 * Two astronauts blast off to their new home--International Space Station
 * Article debt down to 2.
 * David Vasquez drops out. (DV has chosen to use UTC as his timezone, no article submitted by 0:00 UTC.) We still love you, David!
 * Thanks for starting this contest, Eloquence. I was taken out by last minute running around for tax day here in America. Even though I'm out of the contest, I'll keep writing stories. My hat is off to the remaining contestants. — DV 10:56, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Second weekend of protests begins in China
 * Wendy's doubles reward for 'chili finger' info to US$100,000
 * Thanks for participateing! You were unbelieveable - setting up the Wikinews broadcast and still managing to submit an article or so a day! Fair play to you. →  CGorman (Talk)  20:16, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)

April 14

 * Simeon still in? Timing may require adjudication - filed at 06:10, 14 Apr 2005, perhaps 10 minutes past my deadline .. is this close enough? I have not taken daylight savings into account at all, btw, due to no idea what the relevent ruling is on that.
 * Chinese authorities question genetically altered rice allegation
 * Actually, you're well within the time limit -- it's 0:00 your time which is the final deadline.--Eloquence 07:22, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Alan stays in:
 * U.S. Federal Judge overturns ephedra ban
 * U.S. Federal Agents arrest two Houston men in UN Oil for Food scandal
 * Article debt now 3
 * Pingswept stays in: AARP claims US prescription drug prices continue to rise
 * DV stays in: China calls Japan's gas drilling plan 'a serious provocation'

April 13

 * DV stays in: Police investigate new lead in 'Chili Finger' case; Ayala abandons lawsuit
 * Simeon still in: India-China border-treaty hoped to improve ties, facilitate trade
 * Alan:
 * Indiana businessman held hostage in Iraq
 * German cannibal seeks review of manslaughter conviction
 * Article debt reduced to 4
 * Pingswept stays in: Torvalds codes temporary replacement for Bitkeeper

April 12

 * Simeon still in: Australian Immigration denies issuing banned drug
 * DV stays in: US trade deficit soars to new high of US$61.04 billion
 * Alan stays in:
 * Tom DeLay raises Republican hackles as ethics charges dominate news
 * Britney Spears announces she is pregnant
 * Debt reduced to 5
 * Pingswept stays in: Visiting students detained in Louisiana, USA, while photographing ExxonMobil chemical plant

April 11

 * Simeon still in: Arsenic and Thalidomide may be used to fight cancer
 * Pingswept still in, or so he thinks: (article in stealth mode until event warrants publication)
 * DV stays in: Las Vegas 'chili finger' woman has history of lawsuits
 * Alan:
 * NASA announces daily video feed for new Discovery mission
 * 'Sahara' opens as top film in U.S., Canada
 * Article debt to 6

April 10

 * Simeon stays in: Australia unemployment at 30-year low, but under-employed also at 5.1%
 * DV stays in: Anti-Japan protests spread to more Chinese cities
 * Alan stays in:
 * FDA recalls "Mama's" brand smoked salmon
 * Scientists proudly display oldest crystal on Earth
 * Article debt reduced to 7
 * Pingswept stays in: Runners, fans prepare for 109th Boston Marathon

April 9

 * Simeon still in, and writes off penalty debt:
 * Who's the richest entertainer in Australia? The Wiggles of course!
 * Angola: Marburg virus still spreading, 180 dead
 * Alan stays in:
 * Bush EPA nominee abandons insecticide-on-children study after Senate hearing
 * U.S. Postal rate increase proposed
 * Debt to 8
 * Pingswept stays in: Hard drive technology breaks storage density record (get perpendicular!)
 * DV stays in: Chinese rioters storm Japanese embassy in Beijing

April 8

 * Alan stays in:
 * Eric Rudolph pleads guilty to avoid death sentence
 * Spam mailer gets 9 year jail sentence Article debt:9
 * Pingswept stays in: Maine, USA, Land Use Regulatory Commission approves reconstruction of camps on protected Allagash River
 * DV stays in: Police search home of Las Vegas woman who found finger in her chili at Wendy's
 * Simeon in, article #1: Sex, mental and physical exercise, fight dementia

April 7

 * Pingswept stays in: Cambridge, Mass., city council recommends construction firm W. R. Grace remain under DEP supervision for asbestos contamination
 * DV stays in: US House committee approves daylight saving time amendment
 * Simeon in or out, here's my submission: Western Australia apologises to abused wards-of-state
 * Davodd drops out - law classes are a b*tch this quarter. Sorry folks. -- Davodd | Talk 06:08, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Hard luck... hope you keep writing now and then though! → CGorman (Talk)  14:46, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * I will - it only takes me about 90 minutes from beginning to post to write a story (probably why so many other folks need to copyedit them and spell check). :-) -- Davodd | Talk 18:18, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Sorry to see the departure... good wishes on the courses! - Amgine 04:41, 9 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Alan stays
 * Appeal launched for Australian citizen facing execution over marijuana charges
 * FDA mandates "black box" for Celebrex, pulls Bextra off market
 * Article debt down to 10

April 6

 * Pingswept stays in: Bitmover ends free Bitkeeper, replacement sought for managing Linux kernel code
 * DV stays in: Japan announces moon program
 * Simeon stays in: Study: cognitive therapy as good as medication, but lasts longer
 * Oppose this being entered as April 6, for all of the reasons elucidated elsewhere. It was a story accepted for the contest yesterday, April 5. --HiFlyer 20:11, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, Alan, you can't have it both ways. The two articles have been un-merged at your request, and I am told by Amgine that wikinews policy allows multiple stories on the same issue. To have the article I wrote discounted, you would have to get someone to delete it. - Simeon 06:07, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * I say (as one of three judges) that Simeon stays in - however should Elequence comment otherwise, furture discussion may be needed. → CGorman (Talk)  16:53, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Simeon stays, but for submitting another dupe, I hereby sentence him to an article debt of 1, to be worked off in the next 3 days :-).--Eloquence 17:20, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Good idea! → CGorman (Talk)  17:21, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Alan stays in and reduces his article debt to 11:
 * NASA's Mars rovers exceed all expectations
 * Space Shuttle Discovery resumes rollout to launch pad
 * Davodd stays in: FBI starts investigation of charges of shoddy work on new SF Bay bridge
 * The bellman departs - no story submitted.

April 5

 * Simeon stays in: Triple limb-reattachment fails - boy loses foot
 * The bellman stays in: Arinze and Tettamanzi equal favorites as new Pope
 * DV stays in: China responds to US plan for import quotas
 * Alan stays in and reduces his article debt to 12:
 * Miles-long queue to view Pope John Paul one last time
 * Talk-therapy a promising first response for severe depression: study
 * Davodd stays in: ABC to move Internet news network back to U.S. TVs
 * Pingswept stays in: Harvard University divests $4.4m of PetroChina stock

April 4

 * HiFlyer (Alan J Franklin) joins with an article debt of 14. He needs to write at least two articles per day until the debt is zero.
 * Alan stays in, debt reduced to 13:
 * NASA prepares to roll orbiter Discovery to launch pad
 * Royal wedding delayed as Prince plans for Pope's funeral
 * Simeon stays in: 13 pilot whales returning to sea, off Western Australia
 * The bellman stays in: Desmond Tutu calls for election of African pope
 * Duplicate of Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls for African Pope. Maybe we all should vow to at least glance at yesterday's stories before we start writing? ;-) -- Davodd | Talk
 * An even better plan would be to engage brain. I looked at the country collaboration of the week page before i started writing (where CGorman had put a link to his article) and STILL didnt realise. Oh well, I'll try to be more switched on in the future. ~The bellman | Smile  12:57, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * DV stays in: US blocks use of mapping technology in China
 * Davodd stays in: Al Gore-owned cable news channel to relaunch August 1 with viewer-created content
 * Pingswept stays in: US Highway Administration releases interim report on Boston's Big Dig: press release claims tunnel safe, but report does not
 * VF drops out: No article submitted.

April 3

 * DV stay in: Chinese protesters smash up Japanese market
 * Simeon stays in: Aussie rescue chopper down: 9 dead
 * Hmm .. turned out my article was a duplicate. I have since merged both stories to Australian rescue helicopter crash in Indonesia: nine dead. Am I still in? - Simeon 03:08, 4 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Well as a fellow contestent i have no prob with you remaining in. Your pre-merged article was quite good, and so is the merged one. Do any of the other contestents have a problem with him staying in? ~The bellman | Smile  05:38, 4 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Dupes happen - no reason to throw you out.--Eloquence 12:23, 4 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Fine with me. Pingswept 14:14, 4 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * The bellman stays in: Names of Australians killed in helicopter crash released
 * Davodd still in: HBO plans expansion of TV channels in Asia
 * VF stays in: Akayev signs resignation agreement
 * Pingswept stays in: MPAA's Valenti signs Betamax tapes for EFF protesters as Grokster case continues in US Supreme Court

April 2

 * VF stays in: Abbas orders more security reforms, hundreds of security officers to be forced to retire
 * David Vasquez stays in: Inspectors close landmark Healthy Food restaurant after finding dead mouse in cooler
 * Pingswept stays in: Google doubles Gmail storage, adds text formatting
 * Simeon stays in: Australia, NATO, enhance ties
 * The bellman stays in: Australian Treasurer told to 'try harder on welfare'
 * Davodd: Marketing blitz begins for final 'Star Wars' film
 * IlyaHaykinson drops out because he did not submit an article.

April 1

 * David Vasquez stays in: Witnesses saw truck "rev up and race" before Texas blast
 * Simeon stays in: Iraq: Uneven voter turnout elects women who push sharia law while anti-woman violence rages
 * The bellman stays in: Bus drivers to strike in Auckland
 * Davodd stays in: SBC teams with Scientific-Atlanta for cable TV rollout
 * Ilya stays in: Telescope takes first image of planet outside our solar system
 * VF stays in: Abbas fires security chiefs for failure to curb lawlessness
 * Pingswept stays in: American comedian Mitch Hedberg dies on tour at 37

March 31

 * Pingswept stays in (or so he claims): Google starts prefetching top search results for Mozilla and Firefox browsers
 * Simeon stays in: Dresden city council wants DNA matching for doggy-doo
 * The bellman stays in: Pressure building on Myanmar to decline ASEAN chair
 * David Vasquez stays in: Chlorine spill in China's Jiangsu province kills 28, injures hundreds
 * Davodd stays in: Maine passes gay rights law
 * Ilya stays in: The Vatican: Pope's heart briefly stopped beating during treatment
 * VF stays in: EU, Canada impose duties on some US goods in retaliation for Byrd Amendment

March 30

 * Davodd starys in: Fox TV executive takes reins at Paramount studios, New Doctor Who quits series, BBC searches for replacement actor
 * Pingswept stays in: UN Secretary General Annan cleared of influencing oil-for-food contracts by Volcker report
 * Simeon stays in: Monday night's Indonesian quake toll appears less than first feared
 * The bellman stays in: New Zealand praised by NATO Secretary General
 * VF stays in: U.S. flight logs back Maher Arar's claims, The New York Times finds
 * David Vasquez stays in: Taiwan Nationalists leader visits Beijing
 * Ilya stays in: Voting in Zimbabwe starts amid accusations of rigged outcome

March 29

 * IlyaHaykinson stays in: Laura Bush takes a quick trip to Afghanistan
 * Davodd stays in with: Chico fraternity suspended for making frat house porno flick (a blatant attempt to use sex to get more traffic to the site)
 * Pingswept stays in: US Transportation Security Administration "made inaccurate statements" about passenger privacy, says Department of Homeland Security report
 * VF stays in: Upper house of former Kyrgyz parliament steps down, Bakiyev pledges to fight corruption
 * David Vasquez stays in: Japan asks "Where's the beef?"
 * Simeon stays in: Surgeons reattach three severed limbs to boy
 * The bellman stays in: Australians more concerned by global warming than terrorism, says Lowy report
 * Sj is booted out, no story.

March 28

 * VF stays in: New Kygryz parliament backs Bakiyev, lower house of former parliament steps down
 * DV stays in: China and Taiwan react to "326" rally
 * Pingswept stays in: Stanford women's basketball knocks three-time champion Connecticut out of NCAA tournament
 * Simeon still in: Australia silent on UN racism committee condemnation Simeon 04:59, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Davodd stays in: IRS goes after eBay sellers
 * The bellman stay in: First bird flu case in North Korea
 * Ilya stays in: Cure for cat allergies may be close, with help from some mice
 * Sj stays in?: Sudan preemptively rejects Security Council resolution on war crimes extradition

March 27

 * VF stays in: Kulov declares newly elected parliament legitimate, Kyrgyz parliamentary conflict deepens
 * Davodd stays in: Doctor Who returns as UK Saturday night timeslot lord
 * Sj stays in: Harvard women's hockey loses NCAA title to Minnesota for second straight year
 * Pingswept stays in: Risk of major US shipyard Bath Iron Works closure termed "substantial" by Maine Congressman
 * David Vasquez stays in: Wendy's sales down in Northern California
 * The bellman stays in: Chinese government to safeguard old Beijing (i wrote this between 0.30 and 1.30am this morning canberra time, so hopefully it counts since i plan to be away from the computer for the rest of easter. Good night and a happy easter to all. ~The bellman | Smile  14:13, 26 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Simeon stays in if he wasn't eliminated yesterday ;): Guards uncover 600 ft escape tunnel at US prison in Iraq Simeon 05:03, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Ilya stays in: Zimbabwe church leader calls for uprising against Mugabe
 * Amgine departs... - Amgine 06:19, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)

March 26

 * Simeon stays in: Gender imbalance in Tsunami deaths
 * The bellman stays in: Protests continue at Baxter detention centre
 * Pingswept stays in: Morogoro Plastic, funded by Barclays, to open $2m network of recycling plants in Tanzania
 * Davodd stays in: Dick, Spielberg among Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees
 * David Vasquez stays in: Land conflict mars Good Friday in Jerusalem
 * VF stays in: U.S. unveils plans to help India become a "major world power"
 * Ilya stays in: Togo opposition wants election delayed
 * Amgine stays in: Canadian union, railway reach last minute accord
 * Sj stays in: New Kyrgyz election scheduled after lightning coup
 * Redge drops out. No article submitted.

March 25

 * Davodd stays in: Jerry Springer joins U.S. liberal radio network
 * Redge stays in: Scientists discover soft tissue in dinosaur bones
 * VF stays in: Five dead, over 200 injured as looting continues in Bishkek
 * Pingswept stays in: Yahoo adds Creative Commons search for locating reusable content
 * The bellman stays in: UN Security Council approves peacekeepers for Sudan
 * Simeon stays in: Tsunami toll update
 * Amgine stays in: Canada considers Copyright Act changes
 * David Vasquez stays in: Taiwan Democratic Alliance for Peace plans massive rally on Saturday
 * Sj stays in: IBM releases free software for visualizing document histories
 * Ilya stays in: NRA official suggests arming teachers to prevent school shootings

March 24

 * IlyaHaykinson stays in: Entrepreneur's RFID chip implant to open doors, start car
 * VF stays in: Akayev flees Kyrgyzstan as protesters seize control of Bishkek
 * Davodd stays in: PBS cancels 'Wall $treet Week' after 35 years
 * Pingswept stays in: Ground broken on Northpoint development in Cambridge, Massachusetts
 * David Vasquez stays in: Explosion at Texas refinery kills 14, injures more than 100
 * Amgine stays in: Canada set to rule on U.S. Army refugee
 * The Bellman stays in: Arab summit comes to an end
 * Redge stays in: New company to research artificial brain
 * Simeon stays in: India signs on to chemical patents to comply with WTO order - Simeon 03:01, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Sj stays in: Harvard's Berkman Center blog group develops blogging tutorials
 * To vouch for SJ: (diff) (hist) . . N Harvard's Berkman Center blog group develops blogging tutorials; 04:58 . . Sj (Talk | block)-- 2 minutes before midnight EST Pingswept 05:47, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)

March 23

 * Amgine stays in: Harp seal hunt approved by Canada, activist call to boycott Canadian seafood
 * Simeon stays in: 96 dead of Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola
 * Davodd stays in: Parker shown the door as Gap spokeswoman
 * Redge stays in: Kazaa Trial concluding
 * VF stays in: New Kyrgz interior minister says force may be used, riot police clash with protesters in Bishkek
 * The bellman stays in: Chess legend avoids 10 year prison term
 * David Vasquez stays in: U.S. federal marshals seize killer beds
 * Sj stays in: Google launches Google Code project, showcasing open source code, APIs
 * Pingswept stays in: Minuteman bike path iced out through Arlington after 4th snowiest winter on record
 * Ilya stays in: Woman finds human finger in bowl of chili at Wendy's restaurant
 * CGorman drops out. Personal choice.

March 22

 * Sj enters with an article debt of 1, and stays in: American Thom Mayne snags Pritzker architecture prize and Surfwax releases "quick index" to 600k Wikipedia terms. The article debt is now at 0.
 * Pingswept stays in: Ourmedia.org project launched to provide global repository of "grassroots media" (article was started with an IP, which was verified by Eloquence as belonging to Pingswept)
 * Davodd stays in: U.S. TV networks look to past for future programming
 * David Vasquez stays in: Ten dead on Minnesota Indian reservation after school shooting
 * The bellman stays in: EU looks set to continue arms embargo on China
 * Redge stays in: Large creature loose in London suburb
 * VF stays in: Kyrgyz government declares elections valid, refuses to declare state of emergency as opposition cements control of the south
 * Amgine stays in: Train derailed by collision with semi in Saskatchewan, Canada
 * CGorman stays in: US interest rates rise to 2.75%
 * Simeon stays in: UN Reform: China, South Korea question seat for Japan on Security Council, AU$1.25M reward offer for proof of living Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine), Australian Govt to lessen numbers of immigrants detained indefinitely
 * (note: Simeon misunderstood the article debt, so he is allowed, even though he missed his first day's entry, by virtue of having written three articles) -- Eloquence
 * narrowly missed maybe - I thought it would be up to submission of first article, not registration, or I would have registered the next day ;) Simeon 08:41, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Ilya stays in: Symbian licenses email technology from rival Microsoft (finished close to midnight at Ilya's time)
 * Ed Brown drops out. No article submitted.

March 21

 * VF stays in: Violent protests break out in Kyrgyzstan over allegedly rigged parliamentary elections
 * Pingswept stays in: Cambridge, MA, landmark "Gas With a Smile" requests waiver in conversion to Hess Express
 * Amgine stays in: Yahoo! snaps up Flickr
 * Redge stays in: EU concerned about Microsoft compliance, $5 million daily fine possible
 * The bellman stays in: Kofi Annan unveils UN reform plan
 * Ilya stays in: Car maker DeLorean dies at 80
 * Davodd stays in: WSJ: Diller close to $2 billion deal for Ask Jeeves
 * David Vasquez stays in: Bush signs historic Schiavo bill into law
 * Edbrown stays in: Jury deliberates immigrant smuggler case
 * CGorman stays in: Bank of Ireland to axe 2,000 jobs
 * Dan100 doesn't even make the start line, d'oh

Judging
Contest judges are precluded from participating in the contest. Their role is to decide whether written articles meet the requirements above. If you would like to be a judge, you can nominate yourself below. Other users can comment on the nominations, similar to the process on Administrators.

Fuzheado
Would be willing to serve. Fuzheado 01:31, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)

CGorman
Decided to drop out of the contest due to a few unavoidable commitments coming up. Hope to help with the log. CGorman 20:14, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Prizes
''No prizes contributed yet. To pledge a prize, which can be a physical object or cash, just add the prize pledge below, together with your signature ( ~ ). You can add prizes at any time.''

''The organizers will try to help with transferring the prizes to the contest winner. The winner can decide which prizes they want to accept. The prizes they decline can be entered into the next contest.''

 * A Gmail Invite. 50 Gmail invites Doubt this counts as a physical good... so its probaly not valid (plus it is effectively worthless), but I might as well get the spirit of giving going. CGorman 21:14, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Not to undermine CG's generosity :), but if anyone wants a Gmail invite, see my user page! Dan100 (Talk)
 * Well I suppose I was a bit mean only offering one - i've 50 to give away! CGorman 19:47, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * A strange, bizarre gift of my choosing, which will be mailed to you in a plain, unmarked package, with a barely legible return address, which may or may not clear customs depending on your location and the local laws in your community. (Less adventurous winners may decline the gift by simply refusing to supply a mailing address to the prize coordinator at the end of the contest.) — DV 06:30, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * CA$50, and we're working on how to put a cash prize together - we might be able to set up an account so others can contribute to a bigger pot. - Amgine 06:37, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * A postcard from oh so exotic *cough cough* Canberra. Come on ppl this is something which anyone can contribute, come join with me, and offer a postcard from your home town. The bellman 10:34, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * If the winner is in Europe I'm sure I'll post them... something! Dan100 (Talk) 17:52, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * US$20 via PayPal. -- Davodd | Talk 18:22, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Something stolen from the home or personal effects of SJ by Pingswept 04:38, 16 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * US$100 via PayPal, US postal money order, or US bank-certified funds. The winner can choose which payment method is best for him or her. (This prize is in addition to the strange, bizarre gift of my choosing, offered above.) — DV 06:45, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * $1/day x duration of contest donated to Wikimedia Foundation pledges:
 * DV 07:14, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Odigity 09:03, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Prize ideas

 * A donation to the Wikimedia Foundation in the name of the winner. The amount of donation in US dollars will be equal to the number of days the winner succesfully lasts in the competition. (Kind of like a Walkathon) (<-- unsigned comment by Fuzheado)
 * Support. Good idea Fuzheado! Wikimedia should get something out of this - because it's their site. I will donate one US$ dollar per each day the contest continues, up to a limit of 365 days. If the contest lasts longer than a month, I will institute a routine of donating the accumulated pledge at the end of each month the contest continues. Is there a way to donate to Wikimedia in a way that is publically verifiable? (This prize is in addition to the prizes I have pledged up above.) — DV 07:14, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)

es:Wikinoticias:Maratón de escritura nl:Wikinews:Nieuwscafé/Archief/2005/01 ro:Wikiştiri:Concurs de scriere

title: Wikinews:Writing contest


text:
Wikinews talk:Writing contest

Contest Requirements
Does this mean one article per day on the average, or at least one article? What counts as a day (i.e. if I write one article at 00:01 one day, and at 23:59 the following day, is this one day still, even though it's been almost 48 hours)? -- IlyaHaykinson 00:56, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)

1) One article per day, to make it easier to verify (and also to increase the chance that someone will actually win this thing, because it's easy to miss a day out).

2) I don't see why 00:01 => 23:59 would be almost 48 hours? We could just use the server time of the submission to count the dates.--Eloquence 01:44, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * I meant, say, 00:01 on Monday and then 23:59 on Tuesday — there's still one article per day, but there's a span of 48 hrs between them. -- IlyaHaykinson 02:09, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Understood. I don't really see a reason why that shouldn't be allowed.--Eloquence

 * Ok. In that case we need to amend the instructions saying that there must be no more than one 48 hour gap between at most one pair of articles in the entire set (we need to allow for people's 00:01 being morning/noon/night, with the 48 hour gap being someone else's whole day. i.e. 00:01 for the author is actually 23:01 for the judge, thus it would appear that a whole day was skipped). There should also be a provision for wikidown days. -- IlyaHaykinson 03:39, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Great Idea
Absolutely great idea Eloquence, hope this boosts contributions without damaging quality. Feel free to remove the gmail invite if someone actually donates something valuable. CGorman 21:17, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Special Circumstances
What happens if the database is locked for a few hours (as happened yesterday) or there is a site crash? Will an exception be made for that day, or will the lucky few who made early posts pre-crash only continue, or will there be a double article requirement for the following day? CGorman 18:50, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * (Hope you don't my altering the chapter title). i would like to expand this question a bit. Besides databse locks, i can think of a whole scale of circumstances which may disable a person from creating articles. A death in the family for instance, or a computer crash at home/work. But to answer my own question: I suggest anyone not able to publish explain himself as soon as he/she is once again able to, and the judges decide whether the reason is good enough. How's that? -- Redge (Talk) 20:24, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * I would say the following: Site downtime is a valid excuse. Personal reasons are only a valid excuse if they can be verified by the judge(s) -- that may seem a bit harsh, but a) we do want someone to eventually win the contest, so it's OK if people drop out, and b) it is too easy to make up unverifiable excuses ("The dog ate my homework").--Eloquence 21:57, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * It's not the noble prize we are competing for here. I think that personal reasons validated or otherwise, are just too tricky. If you the site wont let you fine; if its any other reasons, oh well, it not like its that big a deal anyway. The bellman 10:37, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Escrow account?
Does anyone know of a reliable, reasonably-priced escrow service that we could use to hold the prize funds?

If not, would it be better to deposit prize funds with Eloquence for safe keeping?

If the amount of pledged prize money grows much more, it would give the contestants greater confidence knowing that there is a reliable and neutral third party holding the cash prizes in a safe place.

— DV 06:56, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Suggestion to make sure the contest eventually ends with a winner
Before the contest begins, I propose that the contest should become more difficult after some period of time.

I'm concerned that certain participants may have more free time than they are letting on, and will easily be able to contribute an article a day indefinitely.

For all we know, there may even be one or two professionals signed up for this contest. :)

The prizes will become meaningless if it becomes apparent that no one will ever win.

How about if the contest is not over after one month, that the article requirement goes up by one, i.e. two articles per day the next month, three articles per day the third month, and so forth, for each additional month that the contest continues?

One article per day might be doable indefinitely, but adding one additional article per month would guarantee an eventual winner.

Doubling the requirement each month would be silly, as the requirement would grow too quickly, to 32 articles per day after only six months. A slower escalation in the number of required articles per day for each additional contest month is reasonable to achieve, yet will provide interest to the contest.

I will leave it to Eloquence to decide if he agrees with the merits of this suggestion, because he proposed this contest, but I thought I would float this idea ahead of time to avoid being accused of trying to change the rules after the contest has started. — DV 07:27, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I think the ultimate goal of the contest is to have more stories - not to have a winner. If it goes on indefinitely, then that would only be a good thing. It is an "iron man" competition. :) Probably the biggest cause of attrition is the 3-paragraphs of original reporting requirement. Just writing a compiled wire-type story every day won't be enough, we'll have to write ORIGINAL stories. -- Davodd | Talk  10:13, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Erm, just to be clear, this does not need to be original reporting. It needs to be original writing. This requirement is in there to prevent copy & pasting, even from public domain sources like Voice of America.--Eloquence 10:42, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks for the clarification, Eloquence. So we can submit a compiled wire-type story, using original writing, once every day and still win?

 * The original reporting quotient on Wikinews is slowly rising, which is a good thing, so I hope there will be some of that even if most of us are simply rewriting stories from other news outlets.

 * Since Davodd seemed to think that submitting a compiled wire-type story each day was not sufficient to remain in the contest, perhaps the stated rules should make this point a bit more explicit, to make sure that everyone has the same expectations going in? — DV 10:59, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Agreed. Could you edit the page accordingly?--Eloquence

 * I'm one of the contestants, so it's probably not a good idea for me to edit the rules so close to the entry deadline. I'm comfortable relying on your comments here on the talk page if you don't care to edit the rules yourself. After all, we're relying on you and Fuzheado to be fair and impartial judges.

 * The contest begins in 12 hours. Cheers, — DV 11:55, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Though the contest has already started, I would like to give my thoughts. I would suggest leaving the requierments at one, and see how long this will go on. So what if it goes on forever? Imagine a reporter doing a study on the history of wikinews in 10 years, and finds this contest is still going. How cool is that? ;D -- Redge (Talk) 09:02, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Agreed, it could motivate people to continue to contribute and be an incentive for more people to get involved. VF 10:20, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

well... so far so good.
well, we've had a massive increase in the daily number of articles so that's good. I know i know, its still early days, dont count youre chickens b4 they hatch etc etc. Still, what we've had so far looks preety good. The bellman 12:37, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes indeed - more stories certainly = more traffic, look at the daily Alexa Traffic Ranking, its spiked up to 15,566 - compared to about 25k over the last month. CGorman 22:42, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Writing stories - story ideas - higher traffic
If you are at a loss of what to write, or are trying to write about something other than the latest political tragedy in Fillintheblankstan - here is a list of the most-popular search terms. They could be useful for, 1. providing ideas of what people on the net are looking for, and, 2. increase traffic and the profile of Wikinews: -- Davodd | Talk 22:15, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Google: http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html
 * Yahoo: http://buzz.yahoo.com/
 * MSN Search: http://www.imagine-msn.com/insider/
 * Ask Jeeves: http://sp.ask.com/docs/about/jeevesiq.html
 * AOL search: http://hot.aol.com/hot/hot
 * Lycos: http://50.lycos.com/

 * I also ask all of you to help with Story propagation. I've submitted a couple of stories to Slashdot (both rejected), using &oldid= to refer to a specific version so that vandalism doesn't matter. Getting slashdotted a few times could make a substantial difference in terms of attracting long-term contributors. More tech and science stories would help with that.--Eloquence 23:06, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Winding down
With three contestants left, I'd like to suggest that we wind down this contest before starting the next one (see Original Reporting contest of May 2005). My proposal is as follows: From Monday, 0:00 UTC until Sunday (May 1), 0:00 UTC, all participants are asked to write as many stories as possible (with "story" being defined according to the established contest guidelines). On May 1, we will declare the winner based on who has written the most stories. The winner can decide to take any prizes they want, and to pass on any remaining prizes to the next contest.

I ask all the contestants to kindly state here whether they agree or disagree with this procedure.--Eloquence 02:37, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm a little worried that this plan will induce me to generate a lot of crappy stories, which is not exactly what we want. However, I would also like to end this before the original reporting contest starts. I suggest that Simeon and Alan drop out. No, seriously, I'm not sure what sort of reward structure would end this with dignity. Can we split the prizes three ways? Pingswept 04:10, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Hmm .. I tend to agree with pingswept's viewpoint. I wouldn't like to glut up Wikinews with heaps of three-par stories written in a half-arsed way. But it may be what Eloquence's proposal would descend unto. And I wouldn't like to just give in if one of the other contestants fell to this level.

 * Perhaps if higher quality stories were demanded. But it really actually sounds very difficult, which is my main concern. The winner is likely to be the one who has the most free time, or is most able to skive off from 'real work'. Which seems unfair.

 * Perhaps a judgement could be made on who of the three has the best quality stories during this last week, maintaining the single-story per day limit? Although then this comes down to POV of the people asked to judge quality, and anyone objective enough to judge may not like being put into that situation, ie might be hard to find objective judges.

 * I haven't looked at the prize list recently, it seems like a cop-out, but I think perhaps pingswept's suggestion is the best option. - Simeon 07:10, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * This is a tough choice Erik. The three finalists have all done an excellent job. Perhaps we could base 1st, 2nd and third on word count between now and monday? This would stop the incetive to create short but poorly written articles as opposed to well written, well sourced ones... only problem is it would be very difficult to calculate exactly how many words each writer has written! Any other suggestions anyone? → CGorman (Talk)  15:09, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Greetings from sunny Houston, home of the Lap-Dance Law! Pingswept and Simeon have both agreed to split the prizes. How 'bout they split 1/2 and I take the other half!
 * But really, there are three winners here and I am honored to be among them. If someone can do the math and divvy it all up (I will yield my share of G-mail invites since I have amassed a few of them already on my own) then I think we should continue thru the end of the month, one article a day as we have been doing. If one of us bows out before then, so be it. If we all survive, we split. --HiFlyer 15:23, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * I propose that, assuming nobody drops out before May 1, the prizes are distributed as follows:

 * Alan gets $50 from DV, a stolen possession of SJ's from me, and a postcard from Pingswept.
 * Simeon gets $50 from DV, a stolen possession of SJ's from me, a postcard from Pingswept, and the Gmail invites.
 * Pingswept gets $20 from Davodd and enough $CA from Amgine to total $50, and a postcard from the Bellman.
 * DV and Odigity each pay the Wikimedia Foundation $41 ($1/day).
 * The "strange, bizarre gift" gets sent by DV to Jimmy Wales on behalf of Wikinews.
 * Sound fair? Pingswept 20:18, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Much as I like reconciliatory solutions, I'd like to keep the competitive spirit going. So here's my proposal:

 * As noted above, you all can write as many stories as you want in the final week and submit them here.
 * The judges will grade each of these stories on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) (if multiple judges grade a story, the average is chosen).
 * The person with the highest score at the end wins.

As judge, I would take into account how much effort has visibly gone into a story (e.g. original reporting will almost certainly get a higher score). I think this way we could address the quality issue.--Eloquence 20:34, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * I knew putting my name down as a judge would pay off  ;) → CGorman (Talk)  20:37, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Pingswept's offer

 * I accept Pingswept's division of goodies, and would write one a day through the end of the month. Competition has been fun, but it's time to congratulate each other for a good job and wind down, IMO. --HiFlyer 14:27, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * I agree to the division of booty suggested, although on condition that "a stolen possession of SJ's" does not consist of smelly sox, ageing fish heads ...

 * Re Eloquence's suggestion, vs wordcount, versus just stopping at the end of the month, I don't have a preference. I think that all three contestents should get something, but I don't mind whether there is a 1st 2nd 3rd place system, or an even split as suggested by pingswept for example.

 * Re how to do word count, simply cut and paste raw wikimarkup text of all the stories together from one entrant, and pass to the unix program 'wc' or some other standardised word counter, eg MS Word, as long as the same prog counts all entries, it shouldn't be too much work and will average out to 'fair'. - Simeon 16:59, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * I also I agree with my proposal. I'd rather save my energy for the OR contest than blow it all trying to defeat my comrades.

 * The "stolen possessions" are actually just pins that say "Ask me about Wikipedia." They're a little on the small side, so they're kind of hard to read. I'll see if I can get any extra Wikipedia posters advertising JWales' Harvard law school talk tomorrow too.

 * Eloquence, will you go along with this? Pingswept 17:13, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I'd like to go for a combination of grading (1-5) as described above with prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place (the 1st place winner gets to express a preference on which prizes they'd like to have).--Eloquence 19:09, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * The wikiway is based on wikilove, and what better demonstration than the sharing of prizes. ~The bellman | Smile  14:16, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * I think it should be cosidered a tie, i.e. Pingswept cuts the cake as outlined, and we can stop today instead of running till the end of the month. I will still do my article a day contest or no contest...it's all about wikilove to me, too, thebellman ;-)) --HiFlyer 15:18, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I've added a few experimental grades to the stories so far. As I said, I'd like to end this in a competitive fashion, while still giving all three remaining contestants a prize. We can keep it at one story per day if you guys prefer that.--Eloquence 08:43, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I notice that Eloquence is judging entries, which is fine...as long as he remains aware that the contest I entered has no such requirements. It would not be nice to shift the goal posts on the last week of the 'contest,' and I would hope no such move is in the cards.

Simeon and I agreed with Pingswept to finish the week with one article each. If there is another contest going on in the background, I am the last to be aware of it...and once again...after a fairly grueling round of catch up, would find such a move arbitrary and unfair to all of us. --HiFlyer 15:39, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Nor does the original contest have an ending date or a "the last three contestants split the prizes among themselves" rule. We make up the rules as we go along, trying to find consensus and compromise. Consensus among the contestants to share the prizes is not sufficient; this decision requires both the input and the agreement from the organizers and judges. The ultimate decision who gets a prize and who does not is of course one made by the judges, not the contestants.

 * Don't get me wrong: I think all of you did a great job, and I have no intention to lessen that. But this has always been a competition (with the original rules stating that the winner gets all, and nobody else gets anything), and I think an added competitive element in the final days is appropriate. To be clear, my proposal is a compromise between the original rules and your suggestion ("splitting the booty"). I suggest that there will be a ranking by the time the contest ends, and that all remaining entrants get a prize, but that the winners will get to choose what prizes to accept in the order of their ranking (which is based on the grading of the entries by the judges).--Eloquence 22:15, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Hi Eloquence,

I am happy to stay with the original rules. No one needs to do me any favor by stopping early or "winding down." That was your suggestion to the last three of us. I think we accomodated your winding down request in quite a friendly manner, and still provided WN with our original promise of 1/day.

 * I would be very disappointed if you decided that our agreement didn't include you when it was your idea to come to an agreement. What are people to think in future contests? You will make decisions "as we go along?!?" Isn't that called "RIGGING" the contest?

 * As we Texans say, "that dog don't hunt."

 * I am good with the agreement reached at your prodding, or the contest can continue until there is only one left. But what you are doing is trying to hijack the rules to your own liking. That dog don't hunt, amigo.

 * I waited until the other guys had their say before I agreed to this split of a ooupla bucks and some postcards. You are showing you don't appreciate what we do or have done by jerry-rigging the end of the contest. Do you think any of us need  $50 or some postcards that bad? This was a project I entered for FUN. I think we have performed quite remarkably and you are taking a lot of the FUN out of this for me. As a matter of fact, I value my associates who are in this contest to the point that I would offer for them to split the results NOW and blow the rest of it off. That would wind it down right now. If the other contestants agree, I would suggest that we not write any further contest articles starting right now--which was the essence of the original agreement between the authors. I think this may be addressed in chat. I'll see if I can find you there, although the other two guys may be asleep. --HiFlyer 23:16, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, but I do not communicate in this tone. I hereby resign as judge and will leave it to the remaining judges to find an appropriate end to the contest.--Eloquence 00:25, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Motion to end the contest and divide prizes
I, --HiFlyer 15:01, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC), hereby motion that the contest be declared over and the winners, Pingswept, Simeon and HiFlyer (myself) divide gifts as previously agreed.
 * Do I have a second?

--- I second my own motion, as the dateline and deadline have passed. Congratulations to Pingswept and Simeon. And a special Hi-Hello to User:Eloquence who was only trying to make things more fun when the tone of the tune went sour for him :-( --HiFlyer 05:02, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

Settling up
Per my pledge of a site donation and the above comments, I will add a public comment, "From Pingswept, Simeon, and HiFlyer on behalf of Wikinews." to a US$41 donation to Wikimedia (one dollar for each day of the contest), at the One time donation via PayPal page on the Wikimedia Foundation web site.

As for the other pledges I made, I'm confused from reading the above text about how to allocate the prize money that was supposed to go to the winner(s). Was the prize division suggested by Pingswept accepted, or was Eloquence's suggestion of having one winner with the highest "score" accepted? Eloquence resigned as a judge, so it appears that Pingswept's allocation of the prize winnings is accepted by default.

As for the strange and bizarre prize of my choosing - it is not stinky socks, nor is it a marital aid. The prize is a unique offering obtained from my travels overseas. However, it may be subject to import restrictions if you are overseas, depending upon your local laws and customs. I stand ready to mail this offering out to the first contestant to claim this prize. If no one wants it, I will withdraw the prize and offer it for the Original reporting contest.

(cc'd to each of the remaining writers) — DV 06:40, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

 * My understanding is that Hiflyer, Simeon, and I have all agreed to my proposal. If the remaining judge (CGorman, as Fuzheado seems to have disappeared) and the prize givers (Amgine, DV, me, the Bellman, and Odigity) agree, I suggest that we apply my proposal and get on with the OR contest. Pingswept 06:48, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks for the update, Pingswept. After re-reading the details of your plan, I understand that Alan and Simeon split the US$100. I left a comment on HiFlyer's and Simeon's user talk pages, so hopefully they will check in on this page to affirm that agreement. To complete the above plan, HiFlyer and Simeon need to let me know how to get the payment to them (PayPal, wire transfer, bank check, money order, etc). To protect their privacy, I encourage HiFlyer and Simeon to e-mail the info I will need to make payment.

 * I went ahead and made a donation of US$41 to the Wikimedia Foundation, via PayPal, in all of your names. (Receipt ID upon request by e-mail.) The message sent with the donation reads, "From Pingswept, Simeon, and HiFlyer on behalf of English Wikinews."

 * Congratulations. — DV 08:43, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

 * Hi DV...I agree to the dispersal as set by Pingswept. Please let me know by email if you need my mailing address...and thank you very much for being such a strong supporter of WN. --HiFlyer 17:54, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

 * Congratulations for sticking with the contest for as long as you did, HiFlyer. I sent an e-mail to you requesting a mailing address or a PayPal contact. Please check your inbox. — DV 03:45, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

Revival
Would there be any interest in starting a second writing contest? This had marked success in increasing article output, and I'd be really keen to participate a second time around. It looks like the planned original reporting contest never took off (not surprising, IMHO), but how about repeating the original? Ambi 12:03, 11 August 2005 (UTC)
 * People have expressed this interest, have you posted to the Water cooler too? Dan100 (Talk) 12:18, 11 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Have now. Ambi 15:20, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

I'll be in it. However I propose that there be some rule that allows for those who don't use the Internet on the weekend. Perhaps writing two articles in advance, i.e. allowing people to get into credit? Or even making the target 5 articles per week rather than 1 article per day? - Borofkin 23:10, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

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

title: Wikinews talk:Writing contest


text:
Talk:New York Public Library opens collection of 275,000 digital images

Original reporting
Please contact me on my talk page if you'd like more details on the emails. The Lessig email is reproduced in full; the rest of the Lisanti email is pretty dull. I do not have any special connection to either person (although I did meet Lessig once at a presentation).

Quote
Note that the quote below from an email from Tom Lisanti to me also appears on the library's website. I assume that he just cut and pasted it from there.

"The usage fee is not a copyright fee. You are free to obtain a copy of these images from a source other than NYPL. Usage fees help ensure that the Library is able to continue to acquire, preserve and provide access to the accumulated knowledge of the world."

In any case, I hereby swear and affirm that he actually sent me those words in an email. Pingswept 05:44, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Pretty funny that even the New York City library is trying to prevent people from copying public domain pictures; thats the first time I've heard of a library I've heard trying to restrict copying of public domain pictures!

 * I assume they have no recourse if you use an image from their website that is in the public domain and don't pay them for it. Right? —Christiaan 11:00, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * To quote Larry Lessig from the end of the article, "This hangs on a tough, unresolved question: whether the digitization produces a 'thin' copyright around the public domain work. That copyright would not forbid you from extracting the public domain component, though how you would do that is hard to see (and hence this is a hard question)." Pingswept 04:59, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks Pingswept, but on what basis might digitisation produce a copyright on a public domain work? —Christiaan 09:08, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * On the basis that the courts have not made it sufficiently amply clear yet, perhaps (personally I think there isn't much merit to simple mechanical scanning creating a new copyright because there is not any original creation going on). Note that the library claims that it is not a copyright matter but a reproduction fee, though, so their claim appears not to be relying on copyright at all, but on contract law from accessing their site and agreeing to their terms. Jamesday 10:57, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * This would remind me of the EULA used by software manufacturers in those installation/first-time startup dialogs, but there was no interaction of that kind at the NYPL site when I browsed their gallery of public domain images.

 * How does merely clicking on a link to access a public domain picture constitute agreement to a contract?

 * I was able to access and download a number of public domain pictures from the NYPL site without encountering any license or contract agreement, so how am I bound by their terms?

 * As long as NYPL has posted these public domain images on a publically available site, with no gateway or "Accept" dialog in the way, it seems a bit of a stretch that I agree to terms which are not made known prior to granting access to the site (or at any other time from what I can tell).

 * The NYPL is basically hijacking public domain images from the public domain, re-imposing long-expired copyrights on material, to build a revenue stream for themselves on the backs of long-dead photographers, at the expense of citizens who would otherwise be fully-entitled to use these images for their own purposes.

 * The NYPL gets points for creative fund-raising - apparently they intend to charge outrageous prices of hundreds or even thousands of dollars for some of the images, which goes way beyond the bandwidth costs. Really, my hat's off to them for trying to assert control over public domain material, I can't blame them for trying, there couldn't be a worthier beneficiary of such a scheme.

 * Unfortunately, the NYPL's action in this matter is just another piece of the movement towards wresting control of all creative works from the general public into the hands of an elite few.

 * Their claim that they haven't hijacked these works from the public domain, because one can just get a copy somewhere else is brilliant, given that most of the material is available nowhere else than in their archives.

 * So much for copyright expiring after a reasonable period of time. — DV 11:22, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * While I think it's somewhat unfit for a library to be charging serious fees for material (it would seem like their public mandate involves free access to information), I think what they're doing is exactly what the public domain is about. That is: completely unhindered use of public domain information, unencumbered by copyright. Just like Open Source Software is possible to sell for money, public domain content is sellable as well (publishers still manage to sell works by Plato and Aristotle).
 * With content that is in the public domain the way to combat people who charge is to charge less (or nothing at all). I believe that one could pay these "access fees" once, download the images, and then republish them, for free, somewhere, and since the data is PD that'd be legal. -- IlyaHaykinson 11:35, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Actually the above is not true. Their contract terms forbid it. Sneaky bastards! -- IlyaHaykinson 11:41, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * You know I think this might be something EFF might be interested in looking into and challenging. I've sent them an email, so we'll see what they have to say. —Christiaan 19:01, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * This was EFFs repsonse: "Thanks for writing. We're curious about this ourselves.  It's not something that we're likely to challenge right now (limited resources vs. other pressing litigation), but it does strike us as bizarre that they'd try to condition the use PD material.  Let us know if you hear of any enforcement attempts by NYPL for the public domain stuff." -Christiaan 20:30, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)


text:
User talk:129.94.6.30

Welcome
129.94.6.30, 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! Dan100 (Talk) 13:35, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)
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title: User talk:129.94.6.30


text:
User talk:81.131.135.190

Welcome
81.131.135.190, 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! CGorman 14:46, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)
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title: User talk:81.131.135.190


text:
User talk:132.235.219.121

Welcome
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title: User talk:132.235.219.121


text:
User talk:70.48.95.173

Welcome
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title: User talk:70.48.95.173


text:
User talk:Neutrality~enwikinews

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

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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 Neutrality. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Neutrality~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.

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Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 23:19, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
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title: User talk:Neutrality~enwikinews


text:
User talk:24.29.137.16

Welcome
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title: User talk:24.29.137.16


text:
User talk:Howrealisreal~enwikinews

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 Howrealisreal. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Howrealisreal~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 23:15, 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) 06:32, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Howrealisreal~enwikinews


text:
Report finds Afghanistan is on the verge of becoming a narcotics state

March 5, 2005

A U.S. State Department report was released on Friday, March 4, officially detailing the extent to which  production has soared in Afghanistan since the  three years ago. The report made its way to U.S. Congress via Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Although the scope of study is large, investigating the status of illicit narcotics in almost every country during 2004, attention has focused on Afghanistan. With more than 510,000 sprawling acres of the impoverished country (three times the amount in 2003) utilized for Opium poppy cultivation (the raw material for ), the report warns that the country is becoming a "narcotics state" like Colombia for.

In addition, the report indicated that Afghanistan's opium production soared to 5,445 tons last year, producing 17 times more of the raw drug material than second-place Myanmar. The report stated that the explosion of narcotic production in Afghanistan is "an enormous threat to world stability."

To combat this issue, the Bush administration has proposed US$780 million to institute a plan that works on two levels: to promote alternative crops to farmers and to increase military interdiction for finding and destroying heroin labs and storage facilities. At the time of publishing, the U.S. government has already committed US$1.2 billion to for 2005.


text:
Pope John Paul II dies

April 2, 2005 John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) 1920-2005

After months of failing health, His Holiness Pope John Paul II passed away today, April 2, at 9:37 p.m. local time (19:37 UTC). He was 84 years old. An email message to journalists from the spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls from The Vatican confirmed the death at 20:00 UTC.

The Pope had a earlier this year to help him breathe, and then lost his ability to speak last week. On Thursday March 31 he developed a urinary tract infection that led to septic shock and cardiovascular collapse. A nasogastric feeding tube was inserted to help him regain strength. The Pope elected not to return to Rome's Gemelli hospital, but instead to stay in his own apartments where he was tended to by his personal doctors and Vatican medical staff.

The same night, he was administered the  also known as the last rites. On Friday April 1, the Vatican said he was having difficulties with both his heart and his kidneys.

news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia reports the pope's final message was "I am happy, you be happy, too. Let's pray together with joy. I entrust everything to the Virgin Mary with joy".

A description of the last moment of the holy father from father Jarek Cielecki, director of the Vatican service news and of the Italian TV catolic Tele Padre Pio, tells us the last moment of life of this great man. "The Holy father died looking at the window, gathered in prayer. As such he was conscious. Just before dying, the Pope raised his right hand in a sign of blessing, as if he was aware of all the people gathered in prayer. Then, as soon as the prayer ended, the Pope did a huge effort, said the word 'Amen' and died."

The Vatican has announced that the funeral will take place on Wednesday, April 6 and that the Pope's body will lie in state from Monday, April 4.

Tributes
Many have paid tribute to the Pope and his more than quarter-century reign:

 * in an interview with compared the lives of the late Pope and of her late husband Ronald Reagan, saying, "He and Ronnie had so much in common. They were both actors."  Noting other similarities between their lives, including their shared interests in outdoor activities and the fact that attempts were made to assassinate them both in 1981, she concluded by saying, "It's amazing how their lives crossed."
 * Paul Martin, the Prime Minister of Canada, said, "What the Pope really stood for is the bringing of all faiths together."
 * ,, in an interview with the BBC said, "It's being talked of already, not only by Catholics but by the world, as a great Papal reign," adding from her personal experience of having met the Pope, "I felt I was in the presence of God just for being in the presence of that Pope."
 * His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, in an announcement to ITV News in front of Westminster Cathedral, described the late Pope as "One of the greatest leaders of our modern world; one of the greatest Popes in the Church's 2000 year history." Clearly moved, he concluded his remarks saying "The Church will miss him; the world will miss him; and I will miss him."
 * In a public statement, George W. Bush, President of the United States, said "All Popes belong to the world, but Americans had special reason to love the man from Krakow." He stated that "We will always remember the humble, wise, and fearless priest" and concluded by describing the late Pope as "a son of Poland who became Bishop of Rome and a hero for the ages".
 * , the, said "All the Italians, me too, are mourning for the Holy Father... I'll never forget extraordinary events like the Jubilee meeting. John Paul II has left a mark in the history, he'll be remembered as one of those men who indicated a way... the overcoming of the divisions between East and West, a world order sustained by the peace. [...] We have admired the Pope for the strength of his ideas, his courage, the extraordinary opening to the dialogue with all the religions. It will keep on living in our hearts."
 * issued a statement where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom expressed her "deep sorrow" at the passing of Pope John Paul II.
 * i Foreign Minister said that the Pope's death was a "great loss for all of humanity."
 * , the said "Pope John Paul was a leader of manifest holiness and a faithful and prayerful friend of the Anglican Church."
 * The Muslim Council of Britain said "Pope John Paul II bestrode the international stage for nearly three decades with a simple message of peace, justice and freedom. He was a man of extraordinary faith, courage and compassion."
 * Dr. Manmohan Singh, the, said "Pope John Paul II was a great reconciler to religion and a humanist."
 * , the lead singer of U2, said of the Pope, he was the "best frontman the Roman Catholic Church ever had".

Reaction around the world

The announcement of Pope John Paul II's death in at 19:58 UTC was met with applause, a traditional Italian gesture of respect, followed by silence. The Italian government declared three days of national mourning. (Earlier in the day, all major Italian sporting fixtures had already been cancelled.) It was reported that he had already been dubbed 'John Paul the Great' by many in the tearful crowd in St Peter's Square.

In, Poland, a crowd gathered in the square outside of the Archbishop's residence. The Polish government declared a period of national mourning, from today until the funeral.

Many Catholic churches around the world remained open to allow people to pray, or held special masses. In Dublin, Ireland, the remained open until midnight to allow people to pray privately for the deceased Pope. In the United Kingdom, Westmister Cathedral remained open to allow people to sign a book of condolence.

The flag of the United States flying over the White House was lowered to half mast.

Biography
Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in, Poland on May 18, 1920, Pope John Paul II became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years when he was chosen on October 16, 1978 to lead the Roman Catholic Church following the sudden death of.

His more than 100 trips abroad have attracted enormous crowds (some of the largest ever assembled). With these trips, John Paul has covered a distance far greater than that traveled by all other popes combined. They have been seen as an outward sign of the efforts at global bridge-building between nations and between religions that have been central to his pontificate.

Pope John Paul II has beatified and canonized far more persons than any previous pope. It is reported that as of October 2004, he has beatified 1,340 people. Whether he has canonized more saints than all his predecessors put together, as is sometimes claimed, is difficult to prove, as the records of many early canonizations are incomplete or missing.

First diagnosed in 2001 and confirmed by the Vatican in 2003, the Pope had suffered from during the last few years of his life. This restricted him to only speaking a few sentences at a time and also affected his hearing and mobility.

title: Pope John Paul II dies


text:
Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers killed in raid

March 6, 2005

Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers were shot and killed while raiding a house in the rural town of, Alberta. The suspected shooter, James Rosko, 46, also died in the raid. The RCMP reported that he committed suicide after killing the four officers with his own rifle.

The officers were carrying out a court-ordered property seizure. They discovered stolen property and a marijuana growing operation.

The following officers were killed in action:

 * Const. Peter Schiemann, 25
 * Const. Anthony Gordon, 28
 * Const. Lionide Johnston, 34
 * Const. Brock Myrol, 29

The shooting has shocked the peaceful region and the country of Canada. The Liberal Party of Canada has responded by agreeing to recommend tougher laws for grow-ops. Local citizens are reacting to the losses with memorials and condolences.

The rural town of Mayerthorpe, with a population of about 1,600, is located about 130km northwest of.


text:
US military developing non-lethal pain weapon

March 5, 2005 The US military is funding the research and development of a weapon that could be used to inflict excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away, but is meant to otherwise leave victims unharmed. Pain researchers have been left furious after work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop technology aimed at maximising it.

Intended for use against protesters and rioters, the research focuses on the effect electromagnetic pulses can have on pain reception. Due to be ready by 2007, the Pulsed Energy Projectile (PEP) weapon will fire a burst of electrically charged gas, or plasma, which will generate an electromagnetic pulse on impact. It is this pulse which will trigger impulses in nerve cells causing extreme pain.

A review of the non-lethal weapon by the US Naval Studies Board in 2003 concluded that PEPs produced “pain and temporary paralysis” in animal test subjects. Studies ongoing at the University of Central Florida in Orlando aim at optimising this effect. The ultimate aim is to generate a pulse which will trigger optimum pain in the subject without damaging tissues. Studies due to be carried out on lab grown cells aim at identifying the threshold of pain that can be inflicted on someone without causing death. There is some concern that the studies will fall short of demonstrating a safe level for a plasma burst.

The work came to light after documents were released under the US's Freedom of Information Act to the Sunshine Project, an organisation who aims to expose biological weapons research. One document entitled “Sensory consequences of electromagnetic pulses emitted by laser induced plasmas” concerned the generation and firing of PEPs. Pain researchers have condemned the research, claiming that it could be put to use as a means of torture and that it is unethical.

“I am deeply concerned about the ethical aspects of this research,” said Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. “Even if the use of temporary pain can be justified as a restraining measure, which I do not believe it can, the long-term physical and psychological effects are unknown.”

Clinical psychologist at University College London, Amanda Williams expressed concern that victims risk long term harm. “Persistent pain can result in a range supposedly non-destructive stimuli which nevertheless change the functioning of the nervous system,” she says. Studies “cannot tell us about the pain and psychological consequences of such painful experience,” she said.


text:
User talk:RobP~enwikinews

Welcome
RobP, 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! CGorman 18:50, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)
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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 RobP. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name RobP~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 23:25, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

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

title: User talk:RobP~enwikinews


text:
Irish unemployment rate steady at 4.2%

March 5, 2005

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the unemployment rate in the Republic of Ireland was steady at 4.2% for February. The total number on the live register was 155,900 a fall of 1,300 from January.

All counties bar Waterford, Cavan, Kildare and Longford experienced a fall in unemployment, with Tipperary North having the largest individual drop with a fall of 6% in the unemployment rate.

A similier report by Eurostat - the Statistical Office of the European Union - for the month of January put Irish unemploment at 4.3%, confirming beliefs that Ireland now has the lowest rate of unemployment in Europe. Ireland is followed closely by Luxembourg with a rate of 4.4% and Austria at 4.5%. The EU average is 8.8% with Poland having the highest rate at 18.2%.

title: Irish unemployment rate steady at 4.2%


text:
Talk:Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena freed

I've been waiting for the conspiracy theorists to conjure up something for this outrageous story.

Since the tin-foil hat brigades appear to have come up empty so far, here are some wild and crazy questions to help someone to develop a conspiracy theory for this story:

 * Was this Italian journalist in cahoots with her captors? There is a video of her demanding that Italy withdraw their troops from Iraq.

 * Was there was a plan to speed towards a Coalition checkpoint upon her release, to intentionally cause the Coalition Forces to fire upon the car, making the Coalition Forces look as bad as possible?

 * Was the plan to make the Coalition Forces look bad tragically too effective, resulting in the death of an Italian security agent?

 * Did the Coalition Forces really know who was in the car when fired upon?

 * Are the agents of the vast left-wing conspiracy to make the Coalition Forces look bad doing everything in their power to hide the real story and ridicule anyone who would dare ask the questions which need to be asked about this outrageous story?

Just Asking 20:17, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)


text:
Portal:Ireland

de:Portal:Irland fa:درگاه:ایرلند fr:Page:Irlande pl:Portal:Irlandia Irland

title: Portal:Ireland


text:
David Blunkett is not the father of Kimberly Quinn's son

March 5, 2005

DNA tests have proven that David Blunkett is not the father of Kimberley Quinn's baby son, Lorcan. The spokesman of the former minister said that test, categorically denies that David Blunkett is the father of Ms. Quinn's second son Lorcan. The test was carried out a few weeks ago with consent of both parties.

However Stephen Quinn, the real father, attacked Blunkett by saying "We are angry that Mr Blunkett has yet again chosen to talk to the press about... our family."

Mr. Blunkett was the former home secretary in the United Kingdom, until he resigned after it emerged that he had had an affair with Mrs. Quinn.

Background

 * Wikipedia - The David Blunkett scandal


text: User:Howrealisreal~enwikinews

title: User:Howrealisreal~enwikinews


text:
Italian journalist wounded after release in Iraq, security officer dead

March 5, 2005

Italian security officer Nicola Calipari has been killed, and Giuliana Sgrena as well as two other security agents have been wounded after U.S. forces opened fire on the car they were travelling in shortly after Sregna's release from captivity.

Multinational Force Iraq officials have stated that the car approached a military check-point at speed at 8:55pm Baghdad time on Friday. Soldiers opened fire on the vehicle, injuring Ms Sgrena and killing one other.

"There was suddenly this shooting, we were hit by a hail of gunfire, and I was speaking with Nicola, who was telling me about what had been happening in Italy in the meantime, when he leaned towards me, probably also to protect me. And then he collapsed and I realised that he was dead," Ms. Sgrena told Italy's RAI radio.

She said the shooting continued "because the driver wasn't even managing to explain that we were Italian."

When questioned if the car was going too fast as it approached the U.S. troops, she said: "We weren't going particularly fast given that type of situation."

Ms Sgrena was given medical care by Coalition Forces medical personnel for a superficial wound to her shoulder. Her left-wing newspaper, Il Manifesto, claimed that the bullet had previously passed through the body of Calipari.

The Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, has demanded an explanation for the shooting. President Bush told Mr Berlusconi during a telephone call that there would be a full investigation, and offered his apologies.


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Talk:Italian journalist wounded after release in Iraq, security officer dead

This came in through Submit a story:

Freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena Shot By Americans
For Giuliana Sgrena the flashing lights of an American road block, on the outskirts of Baghdad, must have seemed like a welcoming celebration of her release from 28 days as a hostage. Travelling with two italian security service guards she approached the checkpoint, grateful to see the flag of an ally.

However the Allys, on this occasion American troops, opened fire on the car, killing one guard and wounding both Sgrena and the other guard.

Early American briefings insist that the car was travelling at speed and had ignored hand signals and flashing light warnings to stop. The itallian prime minister, Berlusconni, at once summoned the American ambassador for a full explanation.

He will press the Americans on how, if the whole media world knew that Sgrena had been released and was on her way back to Baghdad, could American soilders decide to shoot her. Pingswept 23:36, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)


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Boeing allowed to bid for U.S. space launch contracts again

March 6, 2005 Boeing's Launch Systems, Launch Services and Delta Program business units are to be allowed to bid once more for U.S. space launch contracts, the USAF has announced.

Boeing had been suspended since July 24, 2003 after violating federal law. The company was discovered to have been in possession of thousands of pages of documentation from Lockheed Martin, Boeing's rival during the 1998 evolved expendable launch vehicle source selection process.

The USAF and Boeing have signed an interim agreement to protect the Air Force's interests. The agreement allows for the reinstating of the suspension if Boeing is indicted or convicted, or if new evidence is found.

Boeing will have to submit to outside verification of the remedial steps it has taken, and cannot charge the Air Force for associated costs. Internal management responsibilities for ethical practice have been changed.

Lockheed Martin's Atlas V and Boeing's Delta IV are two types of expendable rocket, designed to reduce the cost of space launches.