text:
User:MDP23/Log Jeff Jacobson 1

17 Feb 2008 19:00:40<@bjweeks> Jeff_J: Give a short discription of yourself and what you do outside of protesting Scientology. 17 Feb 2008 19:01:12<+Jeff_J> I'm a Politcial Science senior at Arizona State right now 17 Feb 2008 19:01:18<+Jeff_J> full-time student 17 Feb 2008 19:01:30<+Jeff_J> I'm 52, from South Dakota 17 Feb 2008 19:01:40<+Jeff_J> was in a cult age 16-22 (not Scientology) 17 Feb 2008 19:01:50<+Jeff_J> got a BA in Religious Studies in 1984 17 Feb 2008 19:02:02<+Jeff_J> worked at Lisa McPherson Trust until it closed 17 Feb 2008 19:02:04<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:02:23<+Jeff_J> I'll say "end" when I think I'm done 17 Feb 2008 19:02:34<@bjweeks> What was your job at the trust? 17 Feb 2008 19:03:01<+Jeff_J> librarian, and researcher. So I helped the people "downstairs" when they needed documents or whatever 17 Feb 2008 19:03:04<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:03:33<@bjweeks> (start Wiki questions) 17 Feb 2008 19:03:37-!- DragonFire_aw is now known as DragonFire1024 17 Feb 2008 19:03:37<@bjweeks> I see from your website that you list your "cult experience" as your once belonging to the United Pentecostal Church. Do you consider all organized religions as "cults"? 17 Feb 2008 19:04:10<+Jeff_J> no. Not all relgions are cults. The word is loaded but I think still useful 17 Feb 2008 19:04:35<+Jeff_J> a cult is totalitarian, has an us vs. them mentality, and thinks they are the sole keepers of The Truth 17 Feb 2008 19:05:01<+Jeff_J> and uses deception, takes advantage of members 17 Feb 2008 19:05:05<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:05:12<@bjweeks> How do you finance your activities in this area? 17 Feb 2008 19:05:17<+Jeff_J> myself. 17 Feb 2008 19:05:32<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:05:37<@bjweeks> What happened to Bob Minton, your former chief financial supporter? 17 Feb 2008 19:05:53<+Jeff_J> that's a sore point for many, but I'll give my version. 17 Feb 2008 19:06:12<+Jeff_J> I think he wasn't prepared for the backlash he'd get from Scientology. 17 Feb 2008 19:06:46<+Jeff_J> so finally he caved into the pressure that Scientology is so good at applying, and to get out from under them he agreed to certain things 17 Feb 2008 19:07:14<+Jeff_J> he changed his testimony in court to be helpful to the church 17 Feb 2008 19:07:23<+Jeff_J> he stopped all anti-scientology activity 17 Feb 2008 19:07:35<+Jeff_J> and he has left the scene. end 17 Feb 2008 19:07:44<@bjweeks> How powerful is the Church of Scientology in your opinion? 17 Feb 2008 19:08:18<+Jeff_J> Their power now comes from their money. I don't believe they have much recruiting ability, nor that many members (maybe 100,000 worldwide) 17 Feb 2008 19:08:34<+Jeff_J> also their ruthlessness gives them power. But I do believe they are on the decline 17 Feb 2008 19:08:39<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:08:43<@bjweeks> Do you feel mocking the silliness of the upper level teachings is helpful? 17 Feb 2008 19:08:48<+Jeff_J> no 17 Feb 2008 19:09:16<+Jeff_J> BUT, I think exposing their secret teachings is good. It's very strange that you have a religion where you can't tell what they believe until you pay them 17 Feb 2008 19:09:38<+Jeff_J> so it's fine by me to expose their teachings so people can decide if that's what they want to get into or not 17 Feb 2008 19:10:09<+Jeff_J> I suppose I've helped make fun of Xenu, though. 17 Feb 2008 19:10:13<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:10:16<@bjweeks> As we understand it, the Church believes their teachings allow you to overcome illness. Does this work? What do they do when it doesn't? 17 Feb 2008 19:10:53<+Jeff_J> Scientology makes abundant medical claims in their writings, yes. But they are not qualified in any way to deal with medical issues. 17 Feb 2008 19:11:18<+Jeff_J> Lisa McPherson was the perfect example of that. They were handling her according to Hubbard's teachings, and she died as a result 17 Feb 2008 19:11:30<+Jeff_J> this is one of the ways Scientology hurts people. It should be stopped. 17 Feb 2008 19:11:54<+Jeff_J> exposing their unscientific gobble-dee gook is hopefully helpful in stopping more harm 17 Feb 2008 19:12:00<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:12:07<@bjweeks> What is COS policy for off-loading its members when they become seriously ill? 17 Feb 2008 19:12:45<+Jeff_J> I'm not sure of the answer to that. I've heard of "off-loading" where there have been reported cases that they've kicked out people who are more a burden than a help 17 Feb 2008 19:13:15<+Jeff_J> and from what I know, they have no retirement plan for long-time employees or Sea Orgers. 17 Feb 2008 19:13:23<+Jeff_J> I'll give one example 17 Feb 2008 19:13:39<+Jeff_J> Heber Jentzch's wife, Yvonne, got cancer. She died at a young age 17 Feb 2008 19:13:50<+Jeff_J> they treated it as if she chose to do that. 17 Feb 2008 19:14:17<+Jeff_J> in their obituaries they say "we look forward to X's soon return". They believe in reincarnation 17 Feb 2008 19:14:23<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:14:33<@bjweeks> What is your key issue with the Church having tax exempt status within the United States? 17 Feb 2008 19:15:02<+Jeff_J> 1) they got it by pressuring the IRS rather than legitimately 17 Feb 2008 19:15:12<+Jeff_J> 2) they aren't qualified 17 Feb 2008 19:15:41<+Jeff_J> 3) they conducted the largest infiltration of the federal government in US history, then that government gives them tax exemption? 17 Feb 2008 19:16:05<+Jeff_J> these are the same people that were there back then. Kendrick Moxon was part of Operation Snow White and he's still a Scientology attorney 17 Feb 2008 19:16:13<+Jeff_J> many reasons. 17 Feb 2008 19:16:33<+Jeff_J> the Sklar case, and the Hernandez Supreme Court ruling also de-legitimize their tax exemption 17 Feb 2008 19:16:38<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:16:47<@bjweeks> Why mock an organization that has members who believe it has helped them? 17 Feb 2008 19:17:13<+Jeff_J> I hope we don't mock. I hope we inform, expose, and educate. 17 Feb 2008 19:17:50<+Jeff_J> It's easy to make fun of Xenu and that, and I suppose I'm guilty of doing that too. But the goal of critics is to inform, not mock. 17 Feb 2008 19:17:51<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:17:58<@bjweeks> Some people claim Scientology has worked for them, why should they be persecuted or hounded, for what after all is free choice of belief? 17 Feb 2008 19:18:24<+Jeff_J> again, critics aren't (I hope) persecuting anyone. 17 Feb 2008 19:19:00<+Jeff_J> it's to inform. I've seen in several of the Anonymous protest videos where Anons say they're not their to ridicule the beliefs but to complain about their actions. 17 Feb 2008 19:19:04<+Jeff_J> that's a correct stance. 17 Feb 2008 19:19:05<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:19:10<@bjweeks> It is claimed by some anti-Cos campaigns that some Scientology doctrine is flawed or inconsistent, could not the same be said of the arguments put forward by those campaigns. (or indeed the idealogical doctrines of any number of other religions)? 17 Feb 2008 19:20:21<+Jeff_J> I'm a Christian. I actually like reading about the inconsistencies of my religion, so I can understand it better. If any organization promotes some belief or teaching, then it's fine to point out inconsistenceis 17 Feb 2008 19:20:27<+Jeff_J> in fact, it's good 17 Feb 2008 19:20:50<+Jeff_J> I just happen to know alot about Scientology, so that's what I deal with. 17 Feb 2008 19:20:52<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:20:58<@bjweeks> The German Government continues to pursue it's investigation into CoS, why should law enforcement waste time on such investigations? 17 Feb 2008 19:21:12<+Jeff_J> Obviously, they don't think they're wasting their time 17 Feb 2008 19:21:55<+Jeff_J> if there is evidence of illegality, it should be pursued. Remember Operation Snow White, for example. Scientology railed against the FBI as being anti-religion and bigoted when the raids happened 17 Feb 2008 19:22:00<+Jeff_J> yet the FBI turned out to be right 17 Feb 2008 19:22:01<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:22:06<@bjweeks> One aspect of Scientology, is a rejection of modern psychiatry, would you not agree that even the best of shrinks can still get things badly wrong? (even when implementing so called ethical practices)? 17 Feb 2008 19:22:52<+Jeff_J> psychiatry definitely has problems. And if people think that's something that should be researched, great. 17 Feb 2008 19:23:25<+Jeff_J> but I deal with Scientology. They reject psychiatry so much that they made a video of themselves blowing up psychiatry with a grenade 17 Feb 2008 19:23:44<+Jeff_J> their goal is to eradicate psychiatry. 17 Feb 2008 19:24:06<+Jeff_J> as a whole group, not just get rid of the bad practices 17 Feb 2008 19:24:10<+Jeff_J> that's wrong 17 Feb 2008 19:24:14<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:24:18<@bjweeks> When an organisation faces an ideological challenge from specific individuals, is it not reasonable to have sufficient information to mount a robust defence? 17 Feb 2008 19:24:53<+Jeff_J> is this referring to Scientology defending itself I guess? 17 Feb 2008 19:25:07<+Jeff_J> Hopefully, the information being used in defense is correct information 17 Feb 2008 19:25:09<@bjweeks> Yes. 17 Feb 2008 19:25:35<+Jeff_J> And sure, I've been on radio with a Scientologist before. I enjoy it when they debate. 17 Feb 2008 19:25:51<+Jeff_J> but that's very seldom, unfortunately. If you could set up a debate I'd love it 17 Feb 2008 19:26:05<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:26:14<@bjweeks> How does campaigning against CoS materially differ from 'hate crimes' as defined by many laws? 17 Feb 2008 19:26:50<+Jeff_J> critics of Scientology are more like whistleblowers or muckraking journalists 17 Feb 2008 19:27:04<+Jeff_J> we're not doing it out of hate. 17 Feb 2008 19:27:17<+Jeff_J> we're doing it out of concern for the truth 17 Feb 2008 19:27:34<+Jeff_J> people get hurt so we try to prevent it 17 Feb 2008 19:28:06<+Jeff_J> Ted Kennedy eulogized his brother Robert saying "he saw a wrong, and tried to right it." I think that's what critics are doing. It's not a hate crime to expose wrong. 17 Feb 2008 19:28:08<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:28:13<@bjweeks> If the campaigners are presenting genuine arguments, why has there not been more action from governments (in particular the United States)? 17 Feb 2008 19:28:41<+Jeff_J> Because governments sometimes suck? 17 Feb 2008 19:28:44<+Jeff_J> short answer : 17 Feb 2008 19:28:45<+Jeff_J> :) 17 Feb 2008 19:28:51<+Jeff_J> but really 17 Feb 2008 19:29:05<+Jeff_J> on xenutv.com there's an interview with Ray Emmons of teh Clearwater Police 17 Feb 2008 19:29:18<+Jeff_J> he said he compiled a lot of information about Scientology, then presented it to the feds 17 Feb 2008 19:29:29<+Jeff_J> their response; "will they come after me?" 17 Feb 2008 19:29:38<+Jeff_J> so he got nowhere 17 Feb 2008 19:29:44<+Jeff_J> part of it is actual fear 17 Feb 2008 19:30:05<+Jeff_J> part of it is the "religious cloaking" where the government doesn't want to be seen going after a religion 17 Feb 2008 19:30:15<+Jeff_J> part of it is incompetence, imho 17 Feb 2008 19:30:40<+Jeff_J> but remember there HAVE been governmental charges against Scientology, even in the Lisa McPherson case 17 Feb 2008 19:30:43<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:30:50<@bjweeks> CoS has fought and won legal actions, juries cannot be that easy to sway? 17 Feb 2008 19:31:10<+Jeff_J> I can't think of many cases that Scientology actually won. 17 Feb 2008 19:31:17<+Jeff_J> you'd have to give me a couple of cases 17 Feb 2008 19:31:35<+Jeff_J> generally, Scientology sues in civil court to harass and intimidate, not even to win anyway 17 Feb 2008 19:31:53<+Jeff_J> so I'd need a specific case to discuss here I guess... 17 Feb 2008 19:32:01<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:32:06<@bjweeks> Did you actually know Lisa? Or any of her family? 17 Feb 2008 19:32:22<+Jeff_J> No, I first heard of Lisa about one year after she died. 17 Feb 2008 19:32:36<+Jeff_J> I have met her cousin, her aunts and uncle. They are all very nice. 17 Feb 2008 19:32:46<+Jeff_J> Lisa's mom died about one month after Lisa did 17 Feb 2008 19:32:58<+Jeff_J> her brother and dad died several years before she did 17 Feb 2008 19:33:00<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:33:06<@bjweeks> # Isn't it disrespectful of Lisa's memory to use her memory for purposes so clearly counter to her known beliefs? 17 Feb 2008 19:33:29<+Jeff_J> My question there; what were her beliefs when she was being held against her will in her last days? 17 Feb 2008 19:33:52<+Jeff_J> My suspicion is she changed her mind about Scientology. I know I would have. 17 Feb 2008 19:34:18<+Jeff_J> But her friend, Kelli Davis, said she had talked to Lisa not long before she died, and Kelly thought that Lisa was implying that she was leaving Scientology. 17 Feb 2008 19:34:35<+Jeff_J> so my opinion is that Lisa's beliefs in her last days was that Scientology sucked 17 Feb 2008 19:34:44<+Jeff_J> and I will go with that. 17 Feb 2008 19:34:45<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:34:49<@bjweeks> Is it possible to bring murder or manslaughter charges against CoS again? 17 Feb 2008 19:35:30<+Jeff_J> IANAL but there's no statute of limitations for murder. I hope that will happen some day. Perhaps some of the people involved will come forward with information compelling to a prosecutor 17 Feb 2008 19:35:34<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:35:40<@bjweeks> Do you know any details about the 2004 settlement with Lisa's relatives? Is it true that they have not yet received any money from this settlement with the Church of Scientology? 17 Feb 2008 19:36:09<+Jeff_J> On lisamcpherson.org is a statement from Lisa's family after their "settlement" of the civil suit. 17 Feb 2008 19:36:40<+Jeff_J> I do not know for sure. I believe the court case is still listed as active. As far as whether they were paid, I do not know. 17 Feb 2008 19:36:59<+Jeff_J> the assumption was that it was over though. 17 Feb 2008 19:36:59<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:37:03<@bjweeks> What do you expect Project Chanology to accomplish and when? 17 Feb 2008 19:37:24<+Jeff_J> I am not an Anon, and know little about the movement. 17 Feb 2008 19:37:50<+Jeff_J> But I was extremely impressed that Anonymous brought out thousands of people to protest around the world on short notice 17 Feb 2008 19:38:05<+Jeff_J> from what I've seen, I believe they can accomplish a lot. 17 Feb 2008 19:38:42<+Jeff_J> I hope a few more protests, then work on Scientology's tax exemption, which I believe is a very vulnerable area for Scientology. 17 Feb 2008 19:39:00<+Jeff_J> Project Chanology is a strong force with able people. It can do a lot. 17 Feb 2008 19:39:01<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:39:05<@bjweeks> Anonymous utilized criminal tactics, why should such organizations be trusted are regarded as credible? 17 Feb 2008 19:39:25<@bjweeks> s/are/and I think 17 Feb 2008 19:39:33<+Jeff_J> us long-time critics were initially very frightened of Anonymous 17 Feb 2008 19:39:44<+Jeff_J> you can tell that from Wise Beard Man's first video 17 Feb 2008 19:40:25<+Jeff_J> but since then it appears that Anonymous has dropped the original things we were seeing. 17 Feb 2008 19:40:50<+Jeff_J> So I see it as self-policing happened and things are on track now. 17 Feb 2008 19:41:16<+Jeff_J> I do not condone anything but peaceful, legal methods. And now Anonymous is promoting that as well, so I am happy. 17 Feb 2008 19:41:20<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:41:28<@bjweeks> What should be the next step for the Anonymous' movement? 17 Feb 2008 19:42:23<+Jeff_J> Wow. That's not for me to say. I'm not a part of it. But I do hope they will do as they have been, which is listening to us who have been in the field for a long time. 17 Feb 2008 19:42:39<+Jeff_J> You can listen and learn from what we've done, then decide where to go from here. 17 Feb 2008 19:42:56<+Jeff_J> My one wish would be to go after Scientology's tax exempt status in the US. 17 Feb 2008 19:43:15<+Jeff_J> Otherwise I have confidence that Anonymous will find the right path. 17 Feb 2008 19:43:15<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:43:40<@bjweeks> My favorite from the rejected questions. What are your crimes? 17 Feb 2008 19:43:54<+Jeff_J> religiousfreedomwatch.org tried to find my crimes 17 Feb 2008 19:44:04<+Jeff_J> most of what they came up with is about my dad. 17 Feb 2008 19:44:14<+Jeff_J> so I like to tell people I'm Scientology-approved! 17 Feb 2008 19:44:19<+Jeff_J> they couldn't find any crimes :) 17 Feb 2008 19:44:22<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:45:13<@bjweeks> That is all the preprared questions, nobody has queried my any questions. Last call for audience questions. 17 Feb 2008 19:45:19<+Jeff_J> ok 17 Feb 2008 19:46:32<@bjweeks> What keeps you going? And how much fair game have you got got? 17 Feb 2008 19:47:05<+Jeff_J> I've been deposed 3 times by Scientology attornies. My home has been picketed. My business has been picketed twice 17 Feb 2008 19:47:17<+Jeff_J> In Clearwater I was followed sometimes daily by PIs. 17 Feb 2008 19:47:36<+Jeff_J> Lynn Farney yelled at me "we will raid you and sue you! You are on notice!" after one deposition 17 Feb 2008 19:47:59<+Jeff_J> I've had my neighborhood leafleted with flyers calling me a bigot 17 Feb 2008 19:48:22<+Jeff_J> what keeps me going is that Scientology hurts people. When they stop hurting people, I'll stop bugging them. 17 Feb 2008 19:48:24<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:48:37<@bjweeks> What advice would you give to those who get "Fair Gamed"? 17 Feb 2008 19:49:13<+Jeff_J> go to the police right away. keep a record of everything. carry a video camera. I always had a videocamera with me in Clearwater, even going to the grocery store. 17 Feb 2008 19:49:33<+Jeff_J> And another thing I liked to do is post everything that happened online 17 Feb 2008 19:49:48<+Jeff_J> one time I posted "if I disappear, here's the plate number of a car that's been following me..." 17 Feb 2008 19:49:50<+Jeff_J> end 17 Feb 2008 19:50:24<@bjweeks> That is all the audience questions. I'd like to thank you on behalf of myself and Wikinews for doing this interview. 17 Feb 2008 19:50:33<+Jeff_J> thank you! 17 Feb 2008 19:50:36<+Jeff_J> any time 17 Feb 2008 19:50:55<+Jeff_J> if anybody wants more specifics they can email me 17 Feb 2008 19:51:06<@brianmc> we may ask you for comment on future stories, but that'd be by email 17 Feb 2008 19:51:14<+Jeff_J> ok

title: User:MDP23/Log Jeff Jacobson 1


text:
User talk:Jóhann Heiðar Árnason

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! --Steven Fruitsmaak (Reply) 20:02, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
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AIG
Hi. I can give you a hand the article if you need help. I'm working on another article so I can't write the entire article. Let me know. --PatrickFlaherty (talk) 01:13, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

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

title: User talk:Jóhann Heiðar Árnason


text:
Belgian Indymedians discuss participatory journalism at open door day

February 18, 2008

Volunteers and interested people could visit the Belgian Indymedia headquarters in Brussels on Sunday during their second open door day. Around 50 people came to hear about the organisation's evolution during 2007 and what's coming up for 2008. A book about citizen journalism, with contributions from both mainstream journalists and several alternative media experts, was also presented. And the Indymedians mingled, with loungy Creative Commons music in the background.

Indymedia.be was founded in 2000, only a few months after Indymedia's inception at the alter-globalist protests at the World Trade Organisation's summit in Seattle. This made them the first Indymedia on the European mainland. The Independent Media Center's trademark is politically left, social reporting. The initial growth was slow, but during 2007, the organisation grew to around 110 regular contributors, with the first steps towards regional groups in Brussels and Antwerp. The public today could also visit the brand new media centre with new equipment. And although readership has increased exponentially to around 7000 visitors per day (and with it, server costs), finances have not, leading to a fund raising campaign.

Several projects during 2007 aimed to increase the quality of the articles; research projects such as those on the Belgian elections and formation crisis centred on social issues, where the mainstream media itself recognised that the political debate was often monotonous and lacking content.

Nevertheless, bringing analysis and background will continue a challenge during 2008. During the photographer's workshop, the possibilities for photo documentary and photo-based interviews vs. simple photo reporting were illustrated as an alternative to bringing "just a bunch of pictures from another street protest."

As a central player in the field of alternative media in Belgium, Indymedia also wants to stir the debate about participatory journalism. This has led to their first 'media reader' about the topic, and the creators hope more versions will follow.

Participation: a key concept for the 'new' media
The author of the book's introduction, Nico Carpentier, gave a lecture on participatory journalism and the challenges facing organisations like Indymedia. Carpentier is a researcher who teaches media studies at the Free University of Brussels, and has co-authored the book Understanding Alternative Media (Open University Press, 2007).

Carpentier started his talk by putting citizen journalism in its web 2.0 context to explain some common critiques. He referred to the central position of the individual, who can use blogs to disseminate any personal thought, as 'net narcissism'. Symptomatic of this trend is the shift from the classic media 'organisation' to 'communities' of citizen journalists, noted Carpentier.

He also warned against a reductionist view of 'participation', and used YouTube to illustrate the lack of influence, shared ownership and responsibility contributors have in the dominant model of so-called participation -instead of creating media together, participation becomes 'posting something'.

He systematically used the term participatory journalism, because he feels the term citizen journalism is loaded with the problematic image of the amateur journalist, and the idea that 'Every Citizen is a Reporter'. Journalist Walter Zinzen argues fiercly in Indymedia's new book against would-be journalists who lack the skills that take traditional journalists years of training and experience.

Carpentier elaborated on the pitfalls for participatory journalism initiatives. Such as the balance between participation and efficacy; or how the horizontal structure tends to slow down journalistic 'communities', and more so the larger they get. There is also the general lack of interest in a two-way communication system about the news, in a world where media products are consumer goods. And of course, continuous financial and organisational problems. Carpentier explained how working in the alternative media is rarely a life-threatening hobby in the Western world, but that a lack of government support is still a logical consequence of being a forum for criticism. Some alternative media manage to find alternative funding, while others have to adapt to meet government targets or are taken over by corporations.

Carpentier concluded his lecture calling for more a network of alternative media which could foster collaboration with the mainstream media, based on mutual respect.


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Papadopoulos eliminated in Cypriot election

February 17, 2008

According to exit-polls Cyprus president Tassos Papadopoulos has been defeated in the Cypriot presidential elections. In the closest election in Cyprus ever, Papadopoulos finished third, after right-winger Ioannis Kassoulides and communist Demetris Christofias.

Kasoulides won 33.51% of votes, compared to 33.29% for Christofias and 31.79% for Papadopoulos. The two remaining candidates will compete again in a run-off vote next Sunday. The current election is regarded as extremely important in reuniting the Turkish-controlled northern part of the island with Greece-oriented southern part, after having been divided for decades.

Papadopoulos, member of the Cypriot Democratic Party, has been in office since 2003.


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Comments:Wikinews interviews Frank McEnulty, independent candidate for US President

I believe he would be a good president but he doesn't have a chance.

THIS SOUNDS  LIKE  THE  ONLY  TRUE ANSWER  I'VE   HEARD FOR AMERICA, BECAUSE   WAR-MONGERS   AND  THE  ANTI-CHRIST  CERTAINLY  ARE  NOT  THE  ANSWER....... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.114.204.173 (talk) 14:36, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

i want to see more stuff i ama democrate but they will not get my vote and i want vote for the republican,, so we need more imformation,, on the indepentdent canidate...my name is bobby evans 409 283 4225 please call me i will do everything i can for u —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.88.194.212 (talk) 04:57, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

 * We need the change....plain and simple. Reading the above information is exactly what our county needs. Some one who stands for America and can give us some pride back. The comment about picking the lesser of two evils is right. Most people I have talked to about the current situation in this country are as fed up with politics as they can get. Every one trying to run for this office is so close minded about their party affiliation, they would vote straight one way or the other, without even taking the time to see where a person running for office stands. Its completely mad... Take a look at the movie with Robin Williams in it called " Man of the Year" almost everything about that movie is as true as it gets in our current situation. There are way to many hands in the cookie jar in our white house. People have lost pride in  their country...Especially our countries veterans. The very ones who have fought in other lands, not for the freedom of our citizens but for other people, And did it without resistance. They got on a plane and headed over seas to a place that really means nothing  to them, but was ordered to do so and went, many without ever returning.
 * As a whole, regardless of who enters office this time, this world of ours will have to change. The environment is something that has taken the back seat for a long time, now we are faced with destroying everything for our future. This world was created to maintain our lives and man kind has ruined it...Some people think that people that stand up for our planet are just a bunch of tree huggers that thrive on attention. People need to realize that with out these tree, we dont breath. Now if folks think that taking a pill to live or survive is an inconvenience, try strapping on a tank of oxygen before you go to work. How about having to take your kids to the doctor just to get breathing treatments and for chronic lung problems...that does not sound like fun to me, but we're heading in that direction fast...If a person in the Independent category can run for office and not be persuaded by third party interests, lets all hope that happens. This country needs a lift for our pride, our people and our futures. Without change we have what we have already....dis pare...with little hope of anything. The two big political parties have had decades to ruin our country, now we need to start moving to a better light. Lets just hope that our fore fathers arent frowning to much on us for letting things get this bad.
 * David Shaver —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.189.147.104 (talk) 23:36, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

Comments from feedback form - "Ithink a good solid Independen..."
Ithink a good solid Independent could be our next President. —98.115.172.234 (talk) 05:14, 29 May 2010 (UTC)


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California meat packing firm recalls 143M pounds of beef

February 17, 2008

In a press release today, California-based Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. indicated that it has voluntarily recalled just over 143 million pounds (65 million kilograms) of raw and frozen beef products, which is considered to be the largest single recall of beef products in U.S. history. The move follows an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) into allegations of animal cruelty and mishandling of cattle destined for the human food chain.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) had determined that beef products produced by the Chino, California company were unfit for human consumption as the cattle had not received "complete and proper inspection."

The recall has been designated as Class II, which the USDA describes as "a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product."

On Friday, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer indicated that charges had been laid against employees of the plant alleged to have taken part in the mistreatment of cattle. "Today [Friday], the San Bernardino District Attorney filed felony animal cruelty charges against two employees who were terminated by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company," said Schafer. "It is regrettable that these animals were mistreated and I am encouraged and supportive of these actions by the San Bernardino District Attorney in response to this mistreatment."

The USDA learned of the possible inhumane handling of non-ambulatory (disabled) cattle at the packing plant on January 30 and has since suspended activities at the plant. "We continue to conduct a thorough investigation into whether any violations of food safety or additional humane handling regulations have occurred," said Secretary Schafer in a press release. "On February 8, our Office of the Inspector General took the lead on the investigation. At that time, USDA extended the administrative hold on Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company products for the National School Lunch Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations while the investigation continues," said Schafer.

The FSIS reported that Hallmark/Westland had not contacted the FSIS public health veterinarian, as required, when cattle became ill or disabled after undergoing ante-mortem (slaughter) inspection, putting the company out of compliance with FSIS regulations. "Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection FSIS has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall," explained Secretary Schafer.

The cruelty charges stem from an undercover video that reportedly showed sick cattle being moved by crews using forklifts.

"Words cannot accurately express how shocked and horrified I was at the depictions contained on the video that was taken by an individual who worked at our facility from October 3 thru November 14, 2007," said Steve Mendell, President, Westland Meat Co. and Hallmark Meat Packing. "We have taken swift action regarding the two employees identified on the video and have already implemented aggressive measures to ensure all employees follow our humane handling policies and procedures. We are also cooperating with the USDA investigators on the allegations of inhumane handling treatment which is a serious breech of our company’s policies and training."

The USDA stressed that it is "extremely unlikely" that the cattle involved were at risk for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad-cow disease due to the employment of multiple safeguards. The USDA felt the recall was required, however, as the plant had allegedly violated USDA regulations.

The recall involves raw and frozen beef products produced on various dates from February 1, 2006 to February 2, 2008. For further information about the recall, consumers, media, and distributors are encouraged to contact Hallmark/Westland's Plant Manager Stan Mendell or Food Safety Consultant Steve Sayer at (909) 590-3340 or the FSIS website, www.fsis.usda.gov.


text:
Talk:Belgian Indymedians discuss participatory journalism at open door day

Original reporting
I attended the open door day, took pictures and scribbled notes, listened to the lecture and attended the photographer's workshop. I can scan and upload my notes if anyone wants to check, although they are in Dutch. I expect that there will be some coverage on Indymedia itself as well.

Please note that I am a member of Indymedia myself (press card holder, see my user page for contributions and link).

--Steven Fruitsmaak (Reply) 22:48, 17 February 2008 (UTC)


text:
'Wikileaks.org' taken offline in many areas after fire, court injunction

February 18, 2008

The website WikiLeaks.org has been taken off line in many parts of the world. Wikileaks is a website dedicated to leaking documents that are "anonymous, untraceable, uncensorable."

Several factors have taken the site off line including DDoS attacks, which was followed by a fire which took out the main servers hosting the site in Sweden, and a restraining order on the domain name 'WikiLeaks.org' issued in the United States.

According to the website HongPong.com, Wikileaks experienced "a 500Mbps distributed denial of service attack" before the fire, but it is not known if the DDoS attack is connected to it.

After the attack, a fire was reported in the Uninterruptible Power Supply of the servers which host the site.

The third and final factor taking the site off line is a permanent injunction granted in the California Northern District Court in San Francisco, California to Bank Julius Baer, a Swiss Bank, which has caused the domain to be taken off line in the U.S.. Wikileaks previously published hundreds of documents obtained from a whistleblower of the Swiss Bank, "purportedly showing offshore tax evasion and money laundering by extremely wealthy and in some cases, politically sensitive, clients from the US, Europe, China and Peru."

According to a Wikileaks press release received by e-mail, the injunction issued by the court states, "Dynadot [Wikileaks host] shall immediately clear and remove all DNS hosting records for the wikileaks.org domain name and prevent the domain name from resolving to the wikileaks.org website or any other website or server other than a blank park page, until further order of this Court."

"The order was entirely written by Cayman Island's Bank Julius Baer lawyers and was accepted by judge White without amendment, or representations by Wikileaks or amicus. The case is over several Wikileaks articles, public commentary and documents dating prior to 2003. The documents allegedly reveal secret Julius Baer trust structures used for asset hiding, money laundering and tax evasion. The bank alleges the documents were disclosed to Wikileaks by offshore banking whistleblower and former Vice President of the Cayman Island's operation, Rudolf Elmer. Unable to lawfully attack Wikileaks servers which are based in several countries, the order was served on Wikileaks's California registrar Dynadot ("the power company"). The order also enjoins every person who has heard about the order from even linking to the documents," said Wikileaks in the release.

Despite the injunction, Wikileaks states that they will "keep on publishing, in-fact, given the level of suppression involved in this case, Wikileaks will step up publication of documents pertaining to illegal or unethical banking practices."

Despite the injunction, the site can still be accessed at http://88.80.13.160/wiki/Wikileaks.


text:
Template:Retired

  R E T I R E D

This user has left the English Wikinews.

title: Template:Retired


text:
Comments:California meat packing firm recalls 143M pounds of beef

Where's the beef?
I lol'd.

STEVE MENDELL AND ALL HIS EMPLOYEES MINUS THE HERO WITH THE CAMERA OUGHT TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS TRAGIC EVENTS AND YEARS OF TRAGIC EVENTS SINCE 2005 AT STATED IN AN ARTICLE.

ALSO GOING TO JAIL AND ACCOUNTABLE IS THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR THE LACK OF CONTROL ON THESE ANIMALS - THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAS RUINED THIS COUNTRY IN SO MANY WAYS AND THE INNOCENT HUMANS AND ANIMALS GET HURT.

I BELIEVE GEORGE W. BUSH SHOULD GO TO JAIL FOR HIS HEAD TURNING IN SO MANY AREAS. THIS MAN WAS NEVER QUALIFIED FOR THIS JOB AND THIS IS A SMALL PORTION OF THE DAMAGE THAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR HIS BETTERMENT AND GREED. THE ENTIRE BUSH FAMILY IS A BUNCH OF CRIMINALS.

STEVE MENDELL NEEDS TO GO TO JAIL AND THE PEOPLE WHO DEFEND THIS MAN AND THIS COMPANY AND JOIN HIM. HE HAS BEEN IN VIOLATION SINCE 2005 THAT PLENTY OF TIME TO CLEAN UP YOUR ACT IF IN FACT THIS IS SUCH A GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD COMPANY  B____S___T!!!!

I HOPE YOU ALL BURN IN HELL FOR THIS HORRIFIC EVENT. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.155.241.0 (talk) 01:05, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

WTF?
OK, come on. Who the heck lets people do this. USDA = devil  halmark meatpacking = devil  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.204.147.2 (talk) 23:59, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

meat recall
WHY not hire HELP that can and will do their job and not kiss up like so many illegals do ? Their training must have been "go along with the program". What a country ! Cheap labor got the USA here so when will the country learn "you get what you pay for" -207.178.234.194 18:24, 25 February 2008 (UTC)


text:
Talk:'Wikileaks.org' taken offline in many areas after fire, court injunction

Contacting
Cannot find a way to get a hold of anyone from Wikileaks. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 23:58, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
 * ? Adambro - (talk) 23:59, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Sorry...not used to traveling on off shore sites :-P DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 00:03, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * What? The `contact us' link is right there on the front page. --Realist - (talk) 15:15, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Publish
I am gonna try an e-mail those contacts. I want to wait on publishing until we talk to someone, or at least tried to. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 00:04, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Press Release
Links don't work in the e-mail I got the release in...so here it is:

"Wikileaks Emergency Press Release

WIKILEAKS.ORG DELETED AFTER EX-PARTE LEGAL ATTACK BY CAYMAN ISLANDS BANK

http://wikileaks.be/wiki/Wikileaks.org_under_injunction

Contacts: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Contact

Mon Feb 18 00:00:00 GMT 2008

The following release has not been proofed due to time constraints.

Transparency group Wikileaks forcibly censored at ex-parte Californian hearing -- ordered to print blank pages -- 'wikileaks.org' name forcibly deleted from Californian domain registrar -- the best justice Cayman Islands money launderers can buy?

When the transparency group Wikileaks was censored in China last year, no-one was too surprised. After all, the Chinese government also censors the Paris based Reporters Sans Frontiers and New York Based Human Rights Watch. And when Wikileaks and published the secret Internet censorship lists of Thailand's military Junta, no-one was too surprised when people in that country had to go to extra lengths to read the site. But on Friday the 15th, February 2008, in the land of the brave, home of the free and a constitution which proudly states "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press", the power was forcibly turned off on the main Wikileaks press -- permanently:

BANK JULIUS BAER & CO. LTD, a                     Swiss entity; and JULIUS BAER BANK AND TRUST CO. LTD, a Cayman Island                ORDER GRANTING entity,                                           PERMANENT INJUNCTION WIKILEAKS, an entity of unknown form; WIKILEAKS.ORG, an entity of unknown form; DYNADOT, LLC, a California limited liability company; and DOES 1 through 10, inclusive, [..]                             IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:

[..]	Dynadot shall immediately clear and remove all DNS hosting records for the wikileaks.org domain name and prevent the domain name from resolving to the wikileaks.org website or	any other website or server other than a blank park page, until further order of this Court.

The Cayman Islands is located between Cuba and Honduras. In July 2000, the United States Department of the Treasure Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an advisory states stating that there were "serious deficiencies in the counter-money laundering systems of the Cayman Islands", "Cayman Islands law makes it impossible for the supervisory and regulatory authority to obtain information held by financial institutions regarding their client's identity", "Failure of financial institutions in the Cayman Islands to report suspicious transactions is not subject to penalty" and that "These deficiencies, among others, have caused the Cayman Islands to be identified by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (The 'FATF') as non-cooperative in the fight against money laundering". As of 2006 the U.S. State Department listed the Cayman Islands in its money laundering "Countries of Primary Concern".

Wikileaks had previously exposed $4,500,000,000 worth of money laundering and tax evasion, including by the former president of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi (see http://wikileaks.be/wiki/The_looting_of_Kenya_under_President_moi which became the Guardian's front page story in September 2007 and swung the Kenyan vote by 10% leading into the December 2007 election and http://wikileaks.be/wiki/A_Charter_House_of_horrors reported in the Nairobi paper The Standard and now the subject of a High Court Case in Kenya).

On Monday June 15, 1971 the New York Times published excepts of of Daniel Ellsberg's leaked "Pentagon Papers" and was injuncted the following day. The Wikileaks injunction is the equivalent of forcing the Times' printers to print blank pages and its power company to turn off the power. The supreme court found the Times censorship injunction unconstitutional some six weeks later in a 6-3 decision.

The Wikileaks.org injunction is ex-parte, engages in prior restraint and is certainly unconstitutional. It was granted on Thursday afternoon by California district court judge White, Bush appointee and former prosecutor.

The order was entirely written by Cayman Island's Bank Julius Baer lawyers and was accepted by judge White without amendment, or representations by Wikileaks or amicus. The case is over several Wikileaks articles, public commentary and documents dating prior to 2003. The documents allegedly reveal secret Julius Baer trust structures used for asset hiding, money laundering and tax evasion. The bank alleges the documents were disclosed to Wikileaks by offshore banking whistleblower and former Vice President the Cayman Island's operation, Rudolf Elmer. Unable to lawfully attack Wikileaks servers which are based in several countries, the order was served on Wikileaks's California registrar Dynadot ("the power company"). The order also enjoins every person who has heard about the order from from even linking to the documents.

Inorder to deal with Chinese censorship, Wikileaks has many backup sites such as wikileaks.be (Belgium) and wikileaks.org.au (Australia) which remain active. Wikileaks certainly never expected to be using the alternative servers to deal with censorship attacks, from, of all places, the United States.

Wikileaks states the order is unconstitutional and exceeds its jurisdiction.

Wikileaks will keep on publishing, in-fact, given the level of suppression involved in this case, Wikileaks will step up publication of documents pertaining to illegal or unethical banking practices.

Wikileaks has six pro-bono attorney's in S.F on roster to deal with a legal assault, however Wikileaks was given notice "by email" hours before the case. Wikileaks was NOT represented. Wikileaks pre-litigation California council Julie Turner attended the start of hearing in a personal capacity but was then "excused".

White signed the Cayman Islands bank censorship order without a single amendment.

The injunction claims to be permanent, although the case is only preliminary.

WL

http://wikileaks.cx/wiki/Bank_Julius_Baer_vs._Wikileaks

http://wikileaks.cx/wiki/images/Dynadot-injunction.pdf

http://wikileaks.cx/wiki/Die_Akten_des_Hurricane_Man

http://wikileaks.cx/wiki/Clouds_on_the_Cayman_tax_heaven"

DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 05:54, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Injuncted isn't a word. Enjoined, or 'was under injunction', etc. Not injuncted. It really is not a word. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.49.8.228 (talk) 09:24, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Should we mention that the site is actually really still up
Given the injunction the site itself is still up, one needs to go http://88.80.13.160/wiki/Wikileaks and just not wikileaks.org. Also, it might make sense to mention the other mirrors such as http://wikileaks.be/wiki/Wikileaks. JoshuaZ - (talk) 19:15, 18 February 2008 (UTC)


text:
National Hockey League news: February 18, 2008

February 18, 2008

There were 8 games played in the National Hockey League on February 17, 2008, including the top two teams in the West, the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars, going head to head.

Colorado Avalanche @ Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago scored first with a goal 4:48 into the first period. would put the Blackhawks up early in the second period. A late game goal by Colorado would ruin the shutout for Chicago goaltender, when managed to beat Lalime at 17:35 in the third period. Lalime, who stopped 21 of 22 shots, picked up a win, his 11th of the season. Chicago picked up their third straight victory; Colorado picked up their third straight loss.

San Jose Sharks @ New York Rangers
scored first for the Sharks to give them an early 1-0 lead. would tie the score at 11:34 in the first period to tie the score. would score a goal on a Rangers power play to put New York up by 1 in the second period. Callahan would score his second goal of the game by shooting a puck into an empty net with two seconds left in the third period.

Detroit Red Wings @ Dallas Stars
Who would've thought that two teams, who have combined to score 375 goals this season, would only manage one in this game? beat Detroit goaltender to break the scoreless tie 3:13 into the third period. That would be the only goal in the game, as Dallas, who have now won nine of their last ten games, give Detroit their sixth straight loss. Stars goalie picked up the shutout after stopping 28 shots.

Columbus Blue Jackets @ St. Louis Blues
scored his first career NHL goal to put the Blues ahead in the first period. Columbus' would score his 31st goal of the season short handed to tie the score at 1 goal a piece. put St. Louis back in the lead early in the second period. Then, scored on the power play to give St. Louis a two goal advantage. and each scored a power play goal to extend St. Louis' lead by 3. made 19 saves, and picked up an assist in the McDonald goal, in his 22nd win of the year. had four assists, had 2, and the Blues tied the season series with Columbus at three games each.

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Buffalo Sabres
broke the scoreless tie at 7:28 in the second period to put Pittsburgh on the board first. would score two minutes later on a power play to put the Penguins up by 2 goals. Buffalo's only goal would come from at 14:45 in the second period to cut Pittsburgh's lead in half. and each scored in the third period, and the Penguins took their third victory against the Sabres this season. Penguin goaltender stopped 36 shots, and earned his 15th win of the season.

Montreal Canadiens @ Philadelphia Flyers
scored first for the Canadiens to give them the lead 6:18 into the game. would put the Flyers on the board on a short handed goal at 9:30 in the first. put Montreal in the lead with two seconds left in the first period. Philadelphia would tie the game at two goals a piece early in the second period when scored his 5th goal of the season. would re-take the lead for Montreal when he scored less than two minutes later. would extend the Canadiens' lead to 2 on a power-play goal just past the halfway point of the game. would score a goal on an empty net at 18:36 in the third period. would add a Philadelphia goal about a minute later, but the damage was already done, as the Montreal Canadiens took their third straight victory and handed Philly their seventh straight loss.

Calgary Flames @ Anaheim Ducks
would give the Flames their only lead of the game at 15:10 in the first period on a power play goal. would score in the opening minute of the second period to tie the game. would give the Ducks their first lead of the game 4:26 into the second period. That was followed by power play goals by and  to give Anaheim a 3 goal lead by the end of the second period. would cut the Flames' deficit to two goals at 1:54 into the third period. Anaheim's two goal lead would hold as they pick up the victory at home. assisted in the Carter goal, his 670th point as a Duck, and his fourth point since returning to the Ducks on February 5. picked up a pair of assists, and Getzlaf had two points, assisting on Niedermeyer's game winning goal.

Nashville Predators @ Minnesota Wild
A goal by put the Predators on the board early, his 5th goal of the season. would put the Wild on the scoreboard just past the half-way point of the first period on a break-away, assisted by. would give Minnesota their first lead of the game with 23 seconds left in the opening period. would add to the Wild lead at 14:19 in the second period with a power play goal. would cut the Wild's lead in half at 4:05 in the third, but would score his 31st goal of the season on a delayed penalty to put the Wild back ahead by two moments later. Nashville would tie the game when scored at 8:54 in the third period, and  scored on a Predator power play at 14:05. No goals would be scored through the rest of regulation, so the game was sent into overtime. passed across to Gaborik, who beat Nashville goalie, to win it for the Wild with 4 seconds left in the 4-on-4 overtime. Gaborik had a three point night, with two goals and an assist on the Parrish goal.

Other news
The Blue Jackets activated from injured reserve. Fedorov missed 13 games due to a concussion he suffered on January 17 in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Rangers signed defenseman to a contract extension. Tyutin, who was drafted by the Rangers in 2001, has played in 228 games with New York, scored 14 goals, and assisted in 46. The Rangers have also inked contract extensions for defenseman and goaltender  this week.


text:
Comments:Wikinews interviews Mark Bunker, producer of anti-Scientology website 'XenuTV'

What's with Wikinews and Scientology?

 * There are a couple of things - there are a couple of close followers (pro- and anti-Scientology) who contribute here, and Wikinews was one of the first places to break the early Anonymous stories, so it's become a good platform to approach people on for interviews like this. Chris Mann (Say hi!|Stalk me!) 01:58, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Scientology's history of fake bomb threats
Scientology has a history of crafting fake bomb threats. In 2002, they tried to entrap a then 78 year old long time critic of Scientology Ms.Ida Camburn with accusations she was baking a cake bomb, this was described in an article called "Keep off Mom's Front Porch"

20+ years earlier, writer Paulette Cooper ended up prosecuted by Federal authorities after a gal showed up at her door with a clipboard doing a survey, on the back of that clip board was a piece of paper, her letterhead, face against the board, which had been stolen from her house by her boyfriend, who was an operative for Scientology. With that piece of her letterhead, now bearing her fingerprints, after Paulette held that clipboard to sign the petition. The bomb threat typed and then was mailed off.. as you can imagine, Paulette had a very hard time trying to persuade Federal investigators that her letterhead with her fingerprints had not been typed by her.

She was not ultimately cleared of the frame up charges until sometime after the 1977 raids on Scientology's headquarters, when OPERATION FREAK OUT was discovered. -ArnieLerma - (talk) 02:35, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Scientology investigation, a must read
Interesting read. Bunker says "It is going to take a groundswell of media interest into the abuses (of the Church) before" Congress reviews Scientology's tax-exempt status. The St. Pete Times recently published an in-depth investigation into Scientology and its leader David Miscavige, a must read for anyone interested in Scientology. Four high-level defectors provide an unprecedented inside look at the Church of Scientology and Miscavige. Read the stories, watch videos:

http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.79.162.62 (talk) 20:36, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

to the reporter for wiki
"I was just wondering if you were aware of the many other abuses of other religions such as The Watchtower organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.. They do things strikingly similar to Scientology with regards to killing and abusing members and disconnection policies -"

--
 * Your quote. What "similar" practices do you evidently have between these two religions. And what makes you go at those jw's like that. Their record involves no "killing and abusing members".


text:
Comments:Ontario, Canada celebrates Family Day

Family and Community
This reminds me of the Australian Capital Territory's "Family and Community Day" that they initiated last year, to fall on the first Tuesday in November. Unfortunately, the drop in productivity caused by everyone taking the Monday off meant that it's unlikely to become an annual holiday. Chris Mann (Say hi!|Stalk me!) 02:41, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Comments from feedback form - "This sucked."
This sucked. —38.111.117.1 (talk) 17:40, 24 February 2012 (UTC)


text:
Part of facade crumbles at Karpeles Manuscript Library in Buffalo, New York

Part of the facade at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum located at 220 North Street in Buffalo has crumbled causing bricks to fall into Elmwood Avenue.

At approximately 11:20 p.m. (eastern time) on Sunday night February 17, a call was placed into 911 stating that bricks from a wall, a nearly 150 foot section of the upper facade, were lying in the middle of Elmwood after falling off the building. The fire department had to shut down Elmwood from North Street to Allen at 11:30 p.m. until further notice due to the debris and risk to public safety.

No one was injured in the incident, but at least one parked car was damaged by falling bricks.

Though no weather warnings have been issued for the City, winds with gusts up to 50 miles per hour have been reported through the night. It is not known if the wind played a factor in the damage to the building.

City engineers were on scene discussing how to handle the situation and clean up what has already fallen.

The museum is the world's largest collection of documents which are owned privately. The Buffalo building was originally a Church of Christ built in 1911.


text:
User talk:61.88.131.150

Welcome
Thanks for experimenting with Wikinews. Your test worked, and has now been reverted or removed. Please use Sandbox for any other tests you want to do, since testing in articles may disrupt the site's working and will be reverted quickly. , welcome to Wikinews! Please refrain from using content pages for testing. Here are a few good links for newcomers on how to edit Wikinews:

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! Bawolff ☺☻ 04:26, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * 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 an article 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!

title: User talk:61.88.131.150


text:
Talk:Wikinews interviews Jeff Jacobsen, creator of LisaMcPherson.org

Formatted transcript
See. Cirt (talk) 20:36, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

Don't publish
Please don't publish this yet, even if finished. The Mark Bunker interview is still on the main page and I don't want to compete with it. Bjweeks - (talk) 09:32, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Spelling
Jeff Jacobson?

On http://www.lisamcpherson.org/cos/ it is listed as Jeff Jacobsen, with an "e" ...

Which is correct? Better ask him to make sure, and correct all instances of this, before this gets changed to "publish". Cirt - (talk) 02:27, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * See disclaimer at bottom of http://www.lisamcpherson.org/ "Jeff Jacobsen" is correct. Cirt - (talk) 03:00, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * ✅, fixed spelling of name to "Jacobsen". Cirt - (talk) 03:03, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Part of facade crumbles at Karpeles Manuscript Library in Buffalo, New York

OR
Spoke with the police and got the pictures. Got the original call off the police scanner Buffalo Fire frequency: 424.225. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 05:41, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

editprotected

last part of the second sentence: "were laying in the middle of Elmwood after falling off the building." should read "were lying in the middle of Elmwood after falling off the building." last sentence: "The Buffalo building was original a Church of Christ built in 1911." should read "The Buffalo building was originally a Church of Christ built in 1911." ElekMathe (talk) 08:47, 14 June 2010 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Yes_check.svg|link=|alt=|16px]] Done — Gopher65talk 01:43, 21 June 2010 (UTC)


text:
User talk:222.165.73.240

Tibet interview
Here is a link: Dalai Lama's representative talks about China, Tibet, Shugden and the next Dalai Lama. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 06:36, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:222.165.73.240


text:
Wikinews:CommonsTicker/20080218

18 February

title: Wikinews:CommonsTicker/20080218


text:
Fitzpatrick family offers reward in search for missing Mijas teenager

February 18, 2008

The family of Amy Fitzpatrick, an Irish expat who disappeared from Mijas, Spain on New Year’s Night, has announced a reward for reliable information which could lead to finding the missing teenager. The news came in a statement from Dave Mahon, the partner of Amy’s mother, Audrey, who said all information would be treated in the strictest confidence, and calling on anyone who may have a possible lead to contact either the family or the Civil Guard. In the statement Mahon said that "a substantial reward is on offer to anyone who can provide reliable information on Amy's whereabouts. Any information received will be treated within the strictest confidence."

There has been no news on whether detectives have managed to locate a vehicle which they believe Amy may have taken, a British-registered white Ford Fiesta, with the registration number C955 SLK. Anyone who may see the vehicle is asked not to touch it to avoid destroying any evidence, and to call 062 urgently.

Amy disappeared when she was walking home to the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation from the Calypso area at around 10 p.m. on New Year’s Night, and was wearing black track suit bottoms and a T-shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ when she was last seen. She has black hair, and is 1.65 m tall. The contact telephone numbers for any information on her whereabouts are 112, 952 487 036, 062, 686 044 181 and 952 474 030.


text:
Eastern Conference wins 2008 NBA All-Star Game

February 18, 2008

The Eastern Conference defeated their Western Conference counterparts at the 2008 National Basketball Association All-Star Game held at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday. The final score was 134-128.

The East took an early 11 point lead in the first 5 minutes, due to an injured Kobe Bryant only playing 2 minutes before sitting on the bench for the rest of the game. "There's one player we really, really missed, and that was Kobe," said West coach Byron Scott. The West later reduced the lead to 2 points, but at halftime, the East led 74-65.

The West trailed by 13 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but rallied behind New Orleans point guard Chris Paul, who had seven assists in the final period. With 2:48 remaining, Brandon Roy scored a layup on an assist from Paul, giving the West a 122-119 lead, their biggest lead of the game.

The East then answered back with two three-pointers from Ray Allen, before Chris Paul tied the game with a three-pointer of his own. However, the East would then take the lead and the game with layups from Dwyane Wade and Allen, as well as a driving dunk from LeBron James. A Brandon Roy three-pointer put the game within three points with 8.7 seconds left, but 3 free throws from Ray Allen sealed the win for the East.

"The fourth quarter was crazy," said Chris Paul. "We were down 13. We picked up the intensity. We took the lead a few times but Ray Allen was unbelievable the way he shot the ball. And that last dunk by LeBron, we had two people on him but that still wasn't enough."

With 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, James was named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career. Some television commentators also considered Ray Allen a likely choice for the award, with 14 of his 28 points coming in the final 3 minutes of the game. "I think Ray Allen had a heck of a shooting night," James said after being presented the award.

Other All-Star events
Although the All-Star game itself is the highlight of the All-Star festivities, the weekend would not be complete without the league's best players showing their skills in other events, including the Rookie Challenge, Three-Point Shootout, and the fan-favorite Slam Dunk Contest.

T-Mobile Rookie Challenge
The Sophomores defeated the Rookies 136-109 in this game featuring the best young players in the league. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson was named the game's MVP, with all 33 of his points coming from 3 point shots. He broke Kyle Korver's Rookie Challenge record of seven three-pointers, set in 2005. This was the sixth straight victory for the Sophomores.

Haier Shooting Stars Competition
Team San Antonio won this shooting competition featuring current and former NBA stars, as well as WNBA players. Team San Antonio, which consisted of Spurs forward Tim Duncan, former Spurs center David Robinson, and Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon, defeated Team Chicago in the finals on a halfcourt shot by Duncan.

Playstation Skills Challenge
Deron Williams passed, shot, and dribbled his way through the obstacle course to win the Playstation Skills Challenge with a record time of 25.5 seconds in the final round. Chris Paul's time of 31.2 seconds was strong, but no match for Williams' performance. Dwyane Wade, who had won the challenge for the past two years in a row, struggled through the first round with a time of 53.9 seconds. Also eliminated in the first round was Jason Kidd, who finished the course in 39.7 seconds.

Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout
Toronto Raptors guard Jason Kapono won the shootout for the second year in row, making him the first back-to-back winner since Peja Stojakovic won in 2002 and 2003. Kapono's final round score of 25 tied the record set by Mark Price and Craig Hodges in the 1986 competition. Also in the final round were Daniel Gibson, who scored 17 points in the final round, and Dirk Nowitzki, the 2006 Shootout champion, who scored 14. Eliminated in the first round were Stojakovic, Richard Hamilton, and Steve Nash.

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
"I don't think people want to see the same old dunks. They want to see something else, see some spice."

These were Dwight Howard's words after winning the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday. In the first year where fans were able to vote for the winner through text messaging and the Internet, Howard received 78% of the vote, beating out Gerald Green for the slam dunk trophy.

In one of the more notable dunks of the contest, Howard donned a Superman costume, complete with a red cape. He then took off from just inside the free throw line and threw the ball down without even touching the rim. In Howard's first dunk of the night, he tossed the ball off the reverse side of the backboard, caught it, and dunked left-handed.

Gerald Green impressed the fans and the judges when his teammate Rashad McCants placed a cupcake with a lit candle on the back of the rim; Green then jumped up, blew out the candle, and threw down a left handed dunk.

"At first I thought he was going to take the cupcake, eat it and then dunk it," said Howard. "I thought he would have won with that."


text:
Talk:Eastern Conference wins 2008 NBA All-Star Game

Original reporting
Listened to TNT commentators talk about Ray Allen as the possible MVP. Also watched LeBron being presented the MVP trophy, which is where I got his quote. ~Planoneck~ 07:48, 18 February 2008 (UTC)


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Comments:Memorial service takes place for Heath Ledger

great guy

I loved it.
This story was so emotional. I started crying in the middle of reading it. I didn't even know he had died. I watched "10 Things I Hate About You" the other night. When I heard he died. I was devestated. I was touched by this story, and I am really sad to tell my friend about it. I still can't believe it. It's just so sad. He really was a great guy.yehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

he was a great guy

will always miss and love heath ledger
I will miss Heath ledger he was a very good actor and not a bad singer in 10 things i hate about you! It was a tradatuie that he died we was all stunded about he will always be in our hearts and dreams There are people out there that will miss out heath ledger he had great movies that inspiered everyone to see he is a role modle to young teenagers loving careing ect.In conclusion R.I.P to Heath Ledger!!


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Wikinews Shorts: February 18, 2008

New offensive against Taliban in Orūzgān
The Dutch army started, in co-operation with U.S. and Afghan soldiers a new offensive against the Taliban in the Orūzgān province of Afghanistan. The Dutch hope to secure safety and security in the area of Deh Rawood, says a spokesman of the Dutch ministry of Defence. Enemy troops have gained strength in the area. "Because of this, the rebuilding was slowed down, and the local population were under bigger pressure," the spokesman says.

Sources

Women think about sex too
Women think about sex just as often as men, says British dating-site "Dating Direct". Common perception is that men are more occupied with sex than women, but women think about sex 34 times a day, which is every 14th minute.

Dating Direct performed a survey on 1,000 women asking, questions about their sexlife. Almost 50% of them are not satisfied, making them think of sex more, especially when they are at work.

Sources

Heavy snow in Greece and Turkey
Southern Greece and large parts of Turkey were hit by heavy snowfall today. Greek capital Athens was covered by a 20 cm layer of snow on Monday morning, causing major traffic problems. In some areas, the snow blanket was as thick as 50 cm. The capital's airport has been closed.

Sources

title: Wikinews Shorts: February 18, 2008


text:
User talk:TitusEapen

Welcome
TitusEapen, 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!
 * 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
 * Audio Wikinews could always use more contributors
 * And of course, stories need writing!

I unpublished your article Another Hartal, since it needs some work, see the notice in the article. Furthermore it is better not to your own articles, just mark them  so that they may be reviewed by other writers. It will be published once it is OK. Enjoy! Theo Assen - (talk) 08:51, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:TitusEapen


text:
Pakistan votes for new parliament

February 18, 2008

In a delayed poll the Pakistani vote for a new parliament today. The election was originally scheduled for January 8, but the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 forced a delay.

The elections had a slow start at 8 a.m. (0300 GMT), as fears of violence kept many voters away. To enforce security, the Pakistani police is backed up by some 80,000 troops. BBC's Chris Morris says 80 million people are eligible to vote, but many are expected to stay at home, largely because of fears about security. Authorities reported at least five explosions that had taken place on election day, all but one of which occurred near a polling place.

The two most important opposition parties, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League, say that allies of current president Pervez Musharraf plan a massive fraud on the election. "Whether he will be able to do the Election Day rigging or not remains to be seen," said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, director of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency. "But the signs are that the government is positioning itself to manipulate the elections." The authorities have repeatedly claimed that the elections will be free and fair, although President Musharraf has warned against street protests.

If the opposition parties gain a two-thirds majority in Parliament, they could then take steps to impeach the President. This possibility of impeachment has led some political analysts, like Talat Masood, to describe the election as "a referendum for or against [Musharraf]."

"I think we have reached the breaking point where if we don't band together, we will lose this great nation which we call Pakistan," says Ms Bhutto's widower and successor as party leader, Asif Ali Zardari.

title: Pakistan votes for new parliament


text: User:Brian McNeil/Sandbox

title: User:Brian McNeil/Sandbox


text:
User:Brian McNeil/Sandbox2

Welcome Math and Science Computers and Technology Health and Fitness Special Groups Sister projects Wikibooks is a Wikimedia community that was started on July 10, 2003 for creating and using free open-content textbooks that anyone can edit.

 * Learn more about Wikibooks or introduce yourself on the new users page.
 * Learn to edit modules and to use the sandbox to experiment.
 * Learn how Wikibooks is different from Wikipedia or how Wikibooks can be used for class projects.
 * Discuss book projects with  community volunteers working on about Special:Statistics modules in a multitude of textbooks.
 * Find answers to your common questions, or use the community page, the mailing list or IRC to get help.

Explore, be bold, have fun and good luck! Agriculture ~ Astronomy ~ Biology ~ Business and Economics ~ Chemistry ~ Education ~ Geography ~ History ~ Language and Literature ~ Law ~ Mathematics ~ Physics

Computer Science ~ Computer Software ~ Computer Programming ~ Engineering ~ Information Technology ~ Technology

Games and Athletics ~ Philosophy ~ Psychology ~ Religion ~ Sociology ~ Life Science ~ Physical Science

Cookbook ~ Featured Books ~ How-to Guides ~ Study Guides ~ Wikijunior

-- Other tab

Welcome
Wikibooks is a Wikimedia community that was started on July 10, 2003 for creating and using free open-content textbooks that anyone can edit.

 * Learn more about Wikibooks or introduce yourself on the new users page.
 * Learn to edit modules and to use the sandbox to experiment.
 * Learn how Wikibooks is different from Wikipedia or how Wikibooks can be used for class projects.
 * Discuss book projects with  community volunteers working on about Special:Statistics modules in a multitude of textbooks.
 * Find answers to your common questions, or use the community page, the mailing list or IRC to get help.

Explore, be bold, have fun and good luck!

Math and Science
Agriculture ~ Astronomy ~ Biology ~ Business and Economics ~ Chemistry ~ Education ~ Geography ~ History ~ Language and Literature ~ Law ~ Mathematics ~ Physics

Computers and Technology
Computer Science ~ Computer Software ~ Computer Programming ~ Engineering ~ Information Technology ~ Technology

Health and Fitness
Games and Athletics ~ Philosophy ~ Psychology ~ Religion ~ Sociology ~ Life Science ~ Physical Science

Special Groups
Cookbook ~ Featured Books ~ How-to Guides ~ Study Guides ~ Wikijunior

title: User:Brian McNeil/Sandbox2


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Comments:English town wants to move to Scotland

Let's be honest...........can you blame them?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.33.94.133 (talk) 14:53, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Take It!!
I've been, Scotland can have it! most boring place in Britain by a long shot. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 194.6.79.200 (talk • contribs) 17:05, 26 February 2008

Put like that, being from Newcastle i rather think i would prefer to be Scottish too! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.39.25.58 (talk • contribs) 08:41, 20 January 2009

You cant blame Berwick,My partners from Newcastle, and I was unfortunate to be born in Bradford even though my ancestors were from the scottish borders. I feel all towns inthe north of England should be balloted as to whether they would rather come under Scottish control, the westminster government just looks after there south east mates. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 94.2.12.180 (talk • contribs) 17:33, 13 December 2010

- So, people in an English town want to be governed by Scotland?! WHY? --- It’s presumably because there's a perceived financial benefit to those people from Berwick and it’s quite ludicrous to claim that it has anything at all to do with history. --- If Berwick were released, would the Scotland/England borders have to be moved too? --- Perhaps all the way, just South of Brighton as more towns might want to join such a brilliant move! This is either good old British humour ... or a scientific study ought to be undertaken urgently into the psychological wellbeing of the people around Berwick. --- Just so you know - I am NOT British! Me eugene (talk) 19:09, 6 October 2014 (UTC) --


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Shuttle Atlantis departs ISS as Endeavour rolls out for next launch

February 18, 2008 Space Shuttle Atlantis today undocked from the International Space Station, beginning its return to Earth. The Shuttle, which had been visiting the station for mission STS-122, delivering the Columbus laboratory to the orbital outpost. Undocking occurred at 09:24 GMT, after connecting hatches between the spacecraft were closed at 18:03 GMT yesterday evening.

Atlantis is scheduled to land on Wednesday. While NASA hope that it can land at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), they are prepared to use their backup site at Edwards Air Force Base, should the conditions at the SLF be unacceptable for landing. The backup site is not usually considered for the first landing attempt, but is being considered an option for STS-122 because of the US Navy's intention to destroy a failed spy satellite in orbit. This is expected to create debris, which could potentially damage spacecraft passing through the orbit that the spy satellite is in, such as a re-entering Shuttle.

During STS-122, the Columbus module was added to the ISS, and a nitrogen coolant tank was replaced. Atlantis also collected a failed control gyroscope from the station, which had been replaced during the earlier STS-118 mission. A crew rotation also occurred, with French astronaut Léopold Eyharts replacing American Daniel M. Tani as a member of the Station's Expedition 16 crew.

Meanwhile, Endeavour, which is scheduled to fly the next Shuttle Mission, has been moved to the launch pad. The fully-stacked Shuttle and Mobile Launch Platform rolled out of the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building at 04:26 GMT, and is made its way down the Crawlerway, arriving at Launch Complex 39A at about 09:45 GMT, and had been secured in place by 11:22. The US Air Force Thunderbirds display team performed a flyby of the Shuttle at 15:15 GMT. Endeavour is scheduled to begin the STS-123 mission in early-mid March, with a component for the Japanese Experiment Module, and the Canadian Dextre component for the Space Station's robotic arm.


text:
Comments:'Wikileaks.org' taken off line in many areas after fire, court injunction

That doesn't sound awfully suspicious. 71.124.195.171 14:19, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Of course not *whistle* Spacehusky - (talk) 22:26, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

So much for freedom, the US finds everyday new ways to dissapoint me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 18.233.0.36 (talk) 22:36, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

openness of informational models: might be too complex
It is true. Factors put you in a paradoxical juxtiposition to us in the daily complexity of routine, that may affect the Group's operations that are described under 'Risk Factors' in the Operating and Financial Review and Prospects in the company's Annual Reports to the targets action date ["Dec.31,2007"] and the ie. one legal schemes safety study about the likley hood of it the scheme becoming illegal. Than as to, those more interested, in precieving the results presently they are worried about its viability, and it having become too complex in conjunction with 'those discussions not intended as legal advice' dose dependencie, and the like, will have begun to take a toll on your workforce cohorts is/is not, difficult to guestimate the KOR-elements which is necessary for responsiveness, to anyone. To dampen prisoners [or the mirrors questionably added benefits] runaway brain activity selectively blocked to the conditioned place aversion, and stress-induced immobility, by administration of a mixture of potencies on the one hand, while handling my more signficant major lucurative protagonistic vsug accounts simulotaneously and still make my increases, personal commitments and production quotas, relevance to the study, or any continued preceptable benefits requires someting, As I see it, these refusals to desist, it's just an idea to tarnish any point someone created earlier. Would it be better to have control...? Of an ispired insight and unfortunately anyone else should normally be successfully nominated for Foreign & Domestic maintenance allowance awards. Is this the same as knowing something thats the same as to have been lawfully obtained or the utterance of the schemes circulation and the use of the above mentioned objects or are they provided by the High Contracting Bodies. I'm sorry, I wish I had something more intelligent to add. But than that would be linked. As it should be designed to achieve WHOIS sunrise swisscom what is an ftp://mirror...gov^.uk^.com etc. than is or would be obliged to file a checkup about the many clients & assets. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Emissrto (talk • contribs) 23:58, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Judges in the US who do things like this are either ignorant of the law to the point of needing to be disbarred or so lacking in technological knowledge as to need to be disbarred for failure to seek professional counsel where it is merited. In either case, this should not stop with the judge's order being revoked. I feel questions need to raised about judicial competence in the face of technology they are too ignorant to understand and too arrogant to seek counsel on. How can one be judged by a peer in a system where many members of the judiciary are scared to have computers in their offices and know nothing about the nature or how to use Internet. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.181.87.228 (talk) 02:53, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

The final battle
Well here we are, the internet has reached it's pinacle and the final battle will now begin. Unfortunately for me my government has 'decided on my behalf' that it is not suitable for me to view the contents of the site. I am not surprised at China's supression, nor some of the other dictatorships there are around the world - but I am suprised to hear western democracies participating in this suppression of information. I sincerely hope the people at WikiLeaks will persevere even more as it's clear they are now close to exposing the real crimes of the century - carried out by elected governments in our name. I don't know if I believe the various conspiracies about our world, but I am certain that when someone goes to such lengths to stop information being published - it needs to come out. This is what the internet was created for - sharing information (ARPAnet) and now we will finally get to the bottom of this corrupt world where the many are forced into submission by the powerful few. Get back on line - please - for all our sakes - you have in your hands the power to change the world for the better and this time it needs to be used by the public and not a government as it did last time (the atom bomb).

I will be looking for it's return - and offer my assistance in any way.

loui@operamail.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 135.196.130.4 (talk) 13:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


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2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition: Varied fiction books showed different authoring style

February 20, 2008

At the 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition, comic books and fiction books presented different authoring styles in formatting, story construction, and background settings. Examples of these were highlighted at two seminars entitled "On Trends in Creative Chinese Literature" and "From Shao Nu Xiao Yu (少女小漁, meaning in English as "A Young Girl - Little Fish") to The Banquet Bug (赴宴者)", as well as through recent fiction released by several publishers in Taiwan.

In the seminar about 'The Banquet Bug', a book, which has drawn by international media attention from "The Times", "Daily Mail", and "TIME Magazine", was recently translated into the Chinese language by John Chiang-sheng Kuo (郭強生). Taiwanese literature commentator Nan Fang Shou (南方朔, pen-name by Xin-ching Wang, 王杏慶) said the following at the seminar: Even though this novel [The Banquet Bug] focused on phenomena of "cheating", it evidently showed the presence of society in several places or incidents. At the other seminar, "On Trends in Creative Chinese Literature", which focused on wuxia novels, famous Taiwanese novelist Da-chuen Chang (張大春) commented with some specialists on wuxia novels and said: The wuxia novel in the Chinese-language world is very valuable, especially in some elements, story construction, history background, gangsters related to Chinese martial-arts, because several elements above may not be seen in Western (European and American) novels. I think the traditions in the Chinese-language world can still keep in path even though Jin Yong's novels were famous in the past.

In fact, the novel and fiction authoring in Taiwan has generally been steady and varied with such examples and the maturation of independent authoring.


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Talk:2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition: Varied fiction books showed different authoring style

OR info
This is a specialist on novel and fiction books in the TIBE, I participated two key seminars and try to express key information for this article, it's difficult b/c different cultures.

BTW, I'll keep to bring more TIBE information and digest TIBE photos even though the TIBE was ended recently. Brock contact... 15:33, 18 February 2008 (UTC)


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User:WikiBlue

Previous content moved to User:WikiBlue/sandbox

title: User:WikiBlue


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Kosovo seeks recognition as independent state

February 18, 2008 A day after declaring independence from Serbia, Kosovo is hoping for recognition from the global community, especially the European Union and the United States.

"We expect to be recognized by the first countries any minute," said Prime Minister Hashim Thaci to his cabinet. Most of the EU's 27-member nations are expected to recognize Kosovo. The United States is prepared to recognize Kosovo as well; President George W. Bush supported their actions during his trip to Africa. In an interview broadcast live from Tanzania, Bush said, "The Kosovans are now independent. It's something I've advocated along with my government."

Meanwhile, Serbia continued to oppose Kosovo, and has now taken legal action against its leaders. Serbian lawmakers rejected the proclamation as "invalid" and "illegal". The President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of Kosovo were charged with "a serious criminal act against the constitutional order and security of Serbia", according to the Interior Ministry.

Serbia will also attempt to prevent Kosovo from gaining admission into the U.N. and other international organizations, with the help of Russia. "The so-called Kosovo state will never be a member of the United Nations," said Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic. "Serbia will use all diplomatic means at its disposal to block Kosovo's recognition."

Russia, which has historically been against Kosovan independence, reiterated their opposition to the act. "Our position is that this declaration should be disregarded by the international community," said Vitaly Churkin, Russia's United Nations ambassador. Churkin said he worried for the safety of the Serb minority in Kosovo. "We'll strongly warn against any attempts at repressive measures should Serbs in Kosovo decide not to comply with this unilateral proclamation of independence," he said.

Several thousand ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo went to rallies to protest the declaration, where chants of "This is Serbia!" could be heard. Marko Jaksic, leader of the Serbian Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija, showed up at one of the rallies. "America is no longer the single world power," he said. "The Russians are coming. As long as there is Russia and Serbia, there will never be an independent Kosovo."

Protests held in the Bosnian city of Banja Luka were more violent. Dissenters held up signs reading "Kill the Albanians!", and stones and eggs were reportedly thrown at police.

The European Union has agreed to send some 2,000 police officers and civil administrators to Kosovo to stabilize the situation and help build institutions. "I think it's very important that we recognise that all of the countries of the Western Balkans are European countries and therefore it's critical that Europe shows real leadership in how it ensures that peace and stability are the order of the day," said United Kingdom foreign secretary David Miliband.

Despite the majority of European Union members that are expected to recognize Kosovo, several nations, including Spain, have already rejected their claim to independence. "The government of Spain will not recognize the unilateral act proclaimed yesterday by the assembly of Kosovo," said Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. Spain thinks the declaration does not respect international law, he explained.

In China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao expressed concern over Kosovo's bid for independence. "Kosovo's unilateral act can produce a series of results that will lead to seriously negative influence on peace and stability in the Balkan region," he said.

Other nations which will not recognize Kosovo include Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Azerbaijan.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss the issue later today.


text:
Taliban suicide bombing kills 37 Afghan civilians, wounds Canadian soldiers

February 18, 2008

A suicide bombing attack on a Canadian military convoy in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan killed 34 Afghan civilians, and wounded four Canadian soldiers. Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. "A white Toyota Corolla car rammed the second vehicle in the convoy as it passed through the bazaar," said Abdul Hakim, who witnessed the attack. "Then there was a huge explosion. It was dust. I do not know what happened to me."

The Pakistani border was closed because of the elections in Pakistan, but re-opened to take the victims to hospital for treatment. Asadullah Khalid, governor of Kandahar said that many of the wounded are in critical condition, he expects the death toll to rise.

Governor Khalid expressed concern that the Canadian soldiers had not acted on threat warnings from the government regarding operations near the border with Pakistan. "We informed the Canadian forces to avoid patrolling the border areas because our intelligence units had information that suicide attackers were in the areas and wanted to target Canadian or government forces," said Khalid.

The Canadian military dismissed such criticisms and defended recent operations. "We regularly receive threat warnings and obviously we go where we want to, when we want to, in our area of operation," said Lieutenant Commander Pierre Babinsky, Canadian military spokesman. "We obviously take notice of these warnings but our aim is to operate freely within our area of operation despite those."

According to the Canadian military four soldiers were wounded. After treatment three were released from the hospital. All four were able to phone their families themselves.

"We strongly condemn this cowardly attack on the civilian population, who were attacked by insurgents during the course of their daily business," says squadron leader Peter Darling, spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in southern Afghanistan.


text:
Lobby groups oppose plans for EU copyright extension

February 26, 2008

The currently has proposals on the table to extend performers'  terms. Described by Professor Martin Kretschmer as the "Beatles Extension Act", the proposed measure would extend copyright from 50 to 95 years after recording. A vast number of classical tracks are at stake; the copyright on recordings from the fifties and early sixties is nearing its expiration date, after which it would normally enter the or become 'public property'. E.U. Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services is proposing this extension, and if the other relevant Directorate Generales (Information Society, Consumers, Culture, Trade, Competition, etc.) agree with the proposal, it will be sent to the.

Wikinews contacted Erik Josefsson, European Affairs Coordinator for the (E.F.F.), who invited us to, the heart of E.U. policy making, to discuss this new proposal and its implications. Expecting an office interview, we arrived to discover that the event was a party and meetup conveniently coinciding with 2008 (the Free and Open source Software Developers' European Meeting). The meetup was in a sprawling city centre apartment festooned with E.F.F. flags and looked to be a party that would go on into the early hours of the morning with copious food and drink on tap. As more people showed up for the event it turned out that it was a truly international crowd, with guests from all over Europe.

Eddan Katz, the new International Affairs Director of the E.F.F., had come over from the U.S. to connect to the European E.F.F. network, and he gladly took part in our interview. Eddan Katz explained that the Electronic Frontier Foundation is "A non-profit organisation working to protect civil liberties and freedoms online. The E.F.F. has fought for information privacy rights online, in relation to both the government and companies who, with insufficient transparency, collect, aggregate and make abuse of information about individuals." Another major focus of their advocacy is intellectual property, said Eddan: "The E.F.F. represents what would be the public interest, those parts of society that don't have a concentration of power, that the private interests do have in terms of lobbying."

Becky Hogge, Executive Director of the U.K.'s (O.R.G.), joined our discussion as well. "The goals of the Open Rights Group are very simple: we speak up whenever we see civil, consumer or human rights being affected by the poor implementation or the poor regulation of new technologies," Becky summarised. "In that sense, people call us -I mean the E.F.F. has been around, in internet years, since the beginning of time- but the Open Rights Group is often called the British E.F.F."

Cliff Richard's pension
Becky explained to us that she was in Brussels to gather support for a European movement against this proposal. She pointed out to us that compelling economic evidence shows that this measure will not help the E.U. single market, and she hopes that other Directorates will oppose it once they get wind of this fact. We asked Becky Hogge to tell us about the new proposal and why she thinks it is not a good idea.

Perpetual patents?
We raised the point that many common people also see copyright as a good thing and something that supports artists, while copyright violation has been said to have led to huge financial losses for the music industry.

We also noted that the term public domain seems to have a more profound meaning in the United States, and that many Europeans don't even know the term.

The fight moves from the U.K. to Europe
We asked Becky Hogge to tell us the history behind this proposal from a U.K. perspective.

Reclaiming democratic processes in the E.U.
Erik admitted he was disappointed when he compared the way laws are currently made in the European Union to his experience with Swedish politics.


text: User:LambaJan~enwikinews

title: User:LambaJan~enwikinews


text:
User talk:LambaJan~enwikinews

Welcome
Welcome!

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

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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!--Mark Talk to me 17:30, 18 February 2008 (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 LambaJan. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name LambaJan~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) 06:33, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:LambaJan~enwikinews