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User talk:Credema~enwikinews

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! Jacques Divol 12:25, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
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Your account will be renamed
Hello,

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

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

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

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 23:15, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 06:30, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Credema~enwikinews


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Wikinews interviews Jeff Jacobsen, creator of LisaMcPherson.org

February 19, 2008

On Sunday, Wikinews interviewed creator of memorial site LisaMcPherson.org, former Lisa McPherson Trust employee and long time Scientology critic Jeff Jacobsen.

LisaMcPherson.org is a memorial site created in 1997 containing information on her death and the resulting legal case against the Church of Scientology.

Lisa McPherson died in 1995 while in the care of the Church of Scientology. After a car accident, she became mentally unstable. Scientologists removed her from the hospital and placed her in the Introspection Rundown, she died 17 days later while still in care of the Church. She was used as an icon during Project Chanology, the protest of the Church of Scientology by Anonymous. Protesters were pictured with signs that said "Remember Lisa McPherson" and "Ask Scientology Why Lisa McPherson Died", other protesters had posters with her picture on it.

The Interview

 * Give a short description of yourself and what you do outside of protesting Scientology.
 * Jeff Jacobsen: I'm a Political Science senior at Arizona State right now. Full-time student. I'm 52, from South Dakota Was in a cult age 16-22 (not Scientology). Got a BA in Religious Studies in 1984. Worked at Lisa McPherson Trust until it closed.

 * What was your job at the trust?
 * J.J.: Librarian, and researcher. So I helped the people "downstairs" when they needed documents or whatever.

 * 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"?
 * J.J.: No. Not all religions are cults. The word is loaded but I think still useful. A cult is totalitarian, has an us vs. them mentality, and thinks they are the sole keepers of The Truth And uses deception, takes advantage of members.

 * How do you finance your activities in this area?
 * J.J.: Myself.

 * What happened to Bob Minton, your former chief financial supporter?
 * J.J.: That's a sore point for many, but I'll give my version. I think he wasn't prepared for the backlash he'd get from Scientology. 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, he changed his testimony in court to be helpful to the church, he stopped all anti-scientology activity and he has left the scene.

 * How powerful is the Church of Scientology in your opinion?
 * J.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.) Also their ruthlessness gives them power. But I do believe they are on the decline.

 * Do you feel mocking the silliness of the upper level teachings is helpful?
 * J.J.: No. 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. 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. I suppose I've helped make fun of Xenu, though.

 * 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?
 * J.J.: Scientology makes abundant medical claims in their writings, yes. But they are not qualified in any way to deal with medical issues. Lisa McPherson was the perfect example of that. They were handling her according to Hubbard's teachings, and she died as a result. This is one of the ways Scientology hurts people. It should be stopped. Exposing their unscientific gobble-dee gook is hopefully helpful in stopping more harm.

 * What is Church of Scientology policy for off-loading its members when they become seriously ill?
 * J.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 and from what I know, they have no retirement plan for long-time employees or Sea Orgers. I'll give one example, Heber Jentzch's wife, Yvonne, got cancer. She died at a young age, they treated it as if she chose to do that. In their obituaries they say "we look forward to X's soon return". They believe in reincarnation.

 * What is your key issue with the Church having tax exempt status within the United States?
 * J.J.: 1) they got it by pressuring the IRS rather than legitimately 2) they aren't qualified 3) they conducted the largest infiltration of the federal government in US history, then that government gives them tax exemption? 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. Many reasons. The Sklar case, and the Hernandez Supreme Court ruling also de-legitimizes their tax exemption.

 * Why mock an organization that has members who believe it has helped them?
 * J.J.: I hope we don't mock. I hope we inform, expose, and educate. 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.

 * Some people claim Scientology has worked for them, why should they be persecuted or hounded, for what after all is free choice of belief?
 * J.J.: Again, critics aren't (I hope) persecuting anyone. It's to inform. I've seen in several of the Anonymous protest videos where Anons say they're not there to ridicule the beliefs but to complain about their actions. That's a correct stance.

 * It is claimed by some anti-Church of Scientology 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 ideological doctrines of any number of other religions)?
 * J.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 inconsistencies. In fact, it's good. I just happen to know a lot about Scientology, so that's what I deal with.

 * The German Government continues to pursue it's investigation into Church of Scientology, why should law enforcement waste time on such investigations?
 * J.J.: Obviously, they don't think they're wasting their time. 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. Yet the FBI turned out to be right.

 * 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)?
 * J.J.: Psychiatry definitely has problems. And if people think that's something that should be researched, great. But I deal with Scientology. They reject psychiatry so much that they made a video of themselves blowing up psychiatry with a grenade. Their goal is to eradicate psychiatry. As a whole group, not just get rid of the bad practices. That's wrong.

 * When an organization faces an ideological challenge from specific individuals, is it not reasonable to have sufficient information to mount a robust defense?
 * J.J.: Is this referring to Scientology defending itself I guess? Hopefully, the information being used in defense is correct information. And sure, I've been on radio with a Scientologist before. I enjoy it when they debate. But that's very seldom, unfortunately. If you could set up a debate I'd love it

 * How does campaigning against Church of Scientology materially differ from 'hate crimes' as defined by many laws?
 * J.J.: Critics of Scientology are more like whistleblowers or muckraking journalists. We're not doing it out of hate. We're doing it out of concern for the truth. People get hurt so we try to prevent it. 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.

 * If the campaigners are presenting genuine arguments, why has there not been more action from governments (in particular the United States)?
 * J.J.: Short answer: Because governments sometimes suck? :) But really, on xenutv.com there's an interview with Ray Emmons of the Clearwater Police. He said he compiled a lot of information about Scientology, then presented it to the feds. Their response; "will they come after me?". So he got nowhere. Part of it is actual fear. Part of it is the "religious cloaking" where the government doesn't want to be seen going after a religion. Part of it is incompetence, imho [In My Humble Opinion]. But remember there have been governmental charges against Scientology, even in the Lisa McPherson case.

 * Church of Scientology has fought and won legal actions, juries cannot be that easy to sway?
 * J.J.: I can't think of many cases that Scientology actually won. You'd have to give me a couple of cases. Generally, Scientology sues in civil court to harass and intimidate, not even to win anyway. So I'd need a specific case to discuss here I guess...

 * Did you actually know Lisa? Or any of her family?
 * J.J.: No, I first heard of Lisa about one year after she died. I have met her cousin, her aunts and uncle. They are all very nice. Lisa's mom died about one month after Lisa did. Her brother and dad died several years before she did.

 * Isn't it disrespectful of Lisa's memory to use her memory for purposes so clearly counter to her known beliefs?
 * J.J.: My question there; what were her beliefs when she was being held against her will in her last days? My suspicion is she changed her mind about Scientology. I know I would have. 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. So my opinion is that Lisa's beliefs in her last days was that Scientology sucked and I will go with that.

 * Is it possible to bring murder or manslaughter charges against the Church of Scientology again?
 * J.J.: IANAL [I am not a lawyer] 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

 * 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?
 * J.J.: On lisamcpherson.org is a statement from Lisa's family after their "settlement" of the civil suit. 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. The assumption was that it was over though.

 * What do you expect Project Chanology to accomplish and when?
 * J.J.: I am not an Anon, and know little about the movement. But I was extremely impressed that Anonymous brought out thousands of people to protest around the world on short notice. From what I've seen, I believe they can accomplish a lot. I hope a few more protests, then work on Scientology's tax exemption, which I believe is a very vulnerable area for Scientology. Project Chanology is a strong force with able people. It can do a lot.

 * Anonymous utilized criminal tactics, why should such organizations be trusted and regarded as credible?
 * J.J.: Us long-time critics were initially very frightened of Anonymous. You can tell that from Wise Beard Man's first video but since then it appears that Anonymous has dropped the original things we were seeing. So I see it as self-policing happened and things are on track now. I do not condone anything but peaceful, legal methods. And now Anonymous is promoting that as well, so I am happy.

 * What should be the next step for the Anonymous movement?
 * J.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. You can listen and learn from what we've done, then decide where to go from here. My one wish would be to go after Scientology's tax exempt status in the US. Otherwise I have confidence that Anonymous will find the right path.

 * What are your crimes?
 * J.J.: religiousfreedomwatch.org tried to find my crimes, most of what they came up with is about my dad. So I like to tell people I'm Scientology-approved! They couldn't find any crimes :)

 * What keeps you going? And how much fair game have you got got?
 * J.J.: I've been deposed 3 times by Scientology attorneys. My home has been picketed. My business has been picketed twice. In Clearwater I was followed sometimes daily by PIs [ Private investigator ] . Lynn Farney yelled at me "we will raid you and sue you! You are on notice!" after one deposition. I've had my neighborhood leafleted with flyers calling me a bigot. What keeps me going is that Scientology hurts people. When they stop hurting people, I'll stop bugging them.

 * What advice would you give to those who get "Fair Gamed"?
 * J.J.: Go to the police right away. Keep a record of everything. Carry a video camera. I always had a video camera with me in Clearwater, even going to the grocery store. And another thing I liked to do is post everything that happened online. One time I posted "if I disappear, here's the plate number of a car that's been following me..."

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


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Portal:China/Wikipedia

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Wikinews:Coming soon

This is a list of what's coming soon to Wikinews. This encompasses, for the most part, what we're working on in the next seven days.

Edit in your own announcements and upcoming interviews (again, only things that will transpire within the next week). These are pressing, need to know subjects, differentiating from story preparation in that these stories and leads are actively in development this week.

Interview preparations
''Please put stories in alphabetical order. Thank you!''

Requests for interviews
If you are trying to score an interview, please make a sub-heading and add who you are trying to get, details on the interview you'd like to do, and when you want to publish (ideally). Sign with four tildes. ~

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Portal:Middle East/Wikipedia

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User talk:Pvansick

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! Jacques Divol 12:26, 12 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 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!

title: User talk:Pvansick


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User talk:Dar-Ape

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! --Skenmy(t•c•w) 13:25, 12 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 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
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 * And of course, stories need writing!

title: User talk:Dar-Ape


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Comments:Tortured Guantanamo detainees face death penalty

First they need to actually have a thorough investigation of 9-11
... then they can try the _real_ perpetrators. No forensics, no crime evidence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.124.37.161 (talk) 14:33, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

my opinion
why should tortured detainees face the death penalty so stupid and cruel it makes me sick --72.73.95.92 16:50, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

about time
sick and tired of people crying over this Terrorist. They should all get the noose. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.229.35.146 (talk) 20:55, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

KILL HIM
He has Mohammed in his name!!1111 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.88.255.240 (talk) 22:39, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

This reminds me of previous dictatorships
This kind of "torture+trial" combos were already used in the recent history. The perpertrators of these crimes were usually recognised as "criminals". Now, just how will it be presented to the world, makes the difference.

If you kill a live being. And keep it secret until somebody finds it out; then you're in for a lot of trouble. If you kill a live being, but say it loud and clear that you do it to protect other live beings, then you might be seen as a savior.

In both cases, you are wrong. Because justice is there to find the truth, not to distort, hide nor destroy it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.58.210.3 (talk) 03:44, 13 February 2008 (UTC)


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User talk:Auroinseo

Spam
Hi, please do not place any kind of on our website - it will be  so no one will see it. If you do want to contribute to Wikinews, see the introduction. --SVTCobra 15:12, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Auroinseo


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Four new breeds in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

February 12, 2008 This year, four breeds of dogs are competing for the first time in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, United States.

The new breeds making their Westminister debuts this year, are the Plott, a hunting hound originally bred by two German immigrant brothers in North Carolina; the Tibetan Mastiff, once described by Marco Polo as "tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion."; the Beauceron, a herding dog originally bred to herd flocks of sheep in France, later used to sniff out landmines and send messages during the World Wars; and the Swedish Vallhund, a breed dating back to the time of the Vikings, used on farms to catch vermin, herd cattle, and as a guard dog, noted for its double coat and harness markings.

This brings the number of unique breeds competing in the famous dog show to 169.

The Plott, the Beauceron, and the Vallhund were shown on Monday. The Tibetan Mastiff will be shown tonight as part of the Working Group.


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2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition Preview: An exposition with different cultures

February 12, 2008

The 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE 2008), organized by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation (TBFF), will start tomorrow and end next Monday (Feb. 18) at the Taipei World Trade Center in Hall 1 & 3 and in the Taipei Show (TWTC Hall 2). Before the opening of the main show, the TIBE changed significantly.

Return of the preview exhibition before the main show
Since the Preview Exhibition was held in 1992 in Jhonghe City, Taipei County with the "History of books in China" theme, the preview exhibition wasn't eventually held before the main show every year.

This pre-main-show exhibition style was replaced by a consuming battle between bookstores from actual to virtual (via Internet) and reading festivals from municipal libraries in Taiwan that the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China promoted. But in 2008, after the TBFF was regrouped last year, the preview exhibition finally returned on Feb 2 & 3 with the "Book Market" and "Arts and Crafts" in the Huashan Culture Park, Taipei. With the preview exhibition, the reading population is expected to expand rapidly and widely in Taiwan.

Showcases with varied cultures in different countries
To gather on different cultures, the TBFF not only arranged a variety of seminars from book-cover designing, changes of publishing industry, publishing style, and strategies from global publishing industry, but also invited executives from the publishing industry worldwide such as Michel Le Bris, Gilles Lapouge, Shaun Tan, Markus Zusak, Tony Wheeler, and Maruen Wheeler and executives from the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Apart from seminars and executives, the Stiftung Buchkunst (Book Art Foundation) will showcase several awarded books from "Giant of Japanese Design" and some book design awards in the "Most Beautiful Book Designing" pavilion. Two book design awards by TBEE named the "2008 TIBE Prize" and "2008 Golden Butterfly Award" will be successively announced on Feb 13 & 14.

Not only on book-designing and pavilions, even though Australia was named as the main international pavilion, the TBFF chose the opening movie "What My Eyes Have Seen" from France and a closing movie named "The Edge of Heaven" from Germany, those selected movies including the opening and closing ones will be screened at the movie pavilion. The Travel Literature Pavilion will show a different style varied from the 2007 Taipei International Travel Fair, not only just about traveling but also mixed with cultures and literature.


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Category:2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition

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Category:Taipei International Book Exhibition

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Comments:NBA: Grizzlies trade Pau Gasol to Lakers

Jerry West retired as the Memphis Grizzlies General Manager in 2007. The real question is who really constructed the "Pau Gasol Trade" was it GM Chris Wallace or GM Jerry West? Without Pau Gasol the Los Angeles Lakers don't win any NBA Championships and should thank the former Legendary Laker Jerry West.


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User talk:JoshuaSchoolBoy

My vandsilm.

Blocked

Blocked indefinitely

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Talk:2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition Preview: An exposition with different cultures

OR info
I just previewed the main show and took photos for this article, and ever visited the preview exhibition at Huashan Culture Park in Taipei City to gain some special experiences from there.

Next morning will be the opening day, I believe I can bring more information on-site after I get a Press Pass from TBFF. Brock contact... 16:32, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * BTW, this article isn't translated, it's independently written in English. Brock contact... 17:13, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


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Comments:U.S. entertainment writers' strike may end this week

Fuck the writers and be a european

 * but I thought all the great writers WERE European--Hailey C. Shannon 16:44, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


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TIBE joins International Publishers Association for publishing industry in Taiwan

February 12, 2008

As many publishing executives, companies, and world-wide media anticipated for the 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE 2008), the fair joined the International Publishers Association (IPA) as their member after permission by the IPA last Tuesday (Feb. 5) and the Taipei Book Fair Foundation (TBFF) held a contract-signing ceremony today for the partnership program between IPA and TIBE at the press conference of TIBE 2008. Director of the Government Information Office of the Republic of the China Jhy-Wey Shieh said after the signing:

This contract-signing doesn't come easily because the International Publishers Association not only did many hard works for the copyright protection from books in several countries but also promoted the freedoms of publication and speech because they (the IPA) won't allow a country controlling public speech like China. We hope the public in Taiwan can treasure the freedom of speech which didn't come easily after a martial law age.

After the contract-signing, members from the TBFF will have opportunities to gain experiences from publishing industry and world-class book expositions in several countries, and the publishing industry in Taiwan will be improved progressively in the future.


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Talk:TIBE joins International Publishers Association for publishing industry in Taiwan

OR info
Fully participated in the press conference and witnessed the ceremony, but the ceremony seemed very simple? Brock contact... 17:31, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


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User talk:SchoolBoyJosh

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!–Doldrums(talk) 18:07, 12 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 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!

title: User talk:SchoolBoyJosh


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Newspaper campaigns to elevate Vancouver Olympic character from sidekick status

February 12, 2008

The only real animal out of the bunch, Mukmuk, shouldn't be stuck with second billing among 2010 Winter Olympic mascots, says the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

Mukmuk was introduced on November 27, 2007, along with Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots. However, he only appeared in the introductory video and on the website, while the three others appear in costumed character form around the country, and as merchandise "created in effigy by the thousands".

Only 205 Vancouver Island marmots are known to exist, due to predators (mostly wolves and eagles), and loggers.

Writer Jeff Lee is asking readers to join their "campaign to make him a real, live mascot instead of a virtual sidekick". He's asking for public opinion to send to The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (or simply, "Vanoc") on why Mukmuk would make a good mascot, or even why he wouldn't.

Lee will be regularly writing articles for the paper, as well as blogging, publishing reader thoughts, drawings, and ideas of "who Mukmuk really is"; all the other characters have detailed back stories.

According to press materials, "Mukmuk is a small and friendly Vancouver Island marmot who always supports and cheers loudly for his friends during games and races. When he is not hibernating or sunbathing on rocks and logs, he enjoys getting out to meet other types of marmots and animals. In fact, this is how he became friends with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic mascots."

The Vancouver Sun first received reader feedback sympathetic to Mukmuk, as a Nanaimo resident wrote in, noting their paper was the only one to even picture the character. The other three appeared on newspaper covers through BC and nationwide, once launched.

An online petition launched at an unknown date before December 4 has only gathered 18 signatures.


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Talk:Israel town sues Google for slander

A few things: hebrew sources (such as this) spell the spokesman's name as Key Zilberman. Another thing - there are no towns in Israel - only cities, villages, Kibutz and settlements. You might call a large-size settlement a 'town', but Kiryat Yam is a city, as far as Israel is concerned. On a side note, he.wiki tells an intersting story about Kiryat Yam (see here). Acording to that, East Palestine Coperation and Keren Kayemet bought the entire area of land in 1928, and in 1939 Gav Yam bought it for development, and started actual building and populating Kiryat Yam in 1941. Havelock 18:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


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France's Sarkozy to meet with Brazilian president da Silva

February 12, 2008

The Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is due to meet the French President Nicholas Sarkozy later today. Lula da Silva is due to meet with Sarkozy in French Guiana.

The two are expected discuss issues such as greater cooperation between the two countries and the coordination of work on areas around Brazil and French Guiana. In addition, subjects such as biofuels, nuclear science and defence are expected to be discussed in the meeting.

After the meeting, at the headquarters of the local Lula and Sarkozy will present the design for a road bridge that is planned to be built over the river Oiapoque, linking the Brazil to French Guiana. Initial forecasts are suggesting that the bridge, will be about 400 meters long, and will cost approximately US$38.6 million. It is scheduled to be completed for 2010.

The cost of the project is planned to be divided equally between Brazil and France. This was made clear in an agreement between the two nations that was signed in July 2005. The agreement was approved by the Brazilian government in November 2007 and was approved by the French Parliament in March 2007.


text:
Talk:France's Sarkozy to meet with Brazilian president da Silva

I have made major modifications and translated the Agencia Brasil story so if reusing remember to credit Wikinews as well as Agencia Brasil. --Anonymous101 Talk RfA 18:26, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


text:
User:AzaToth/Lead Article

| |Full story

title: User:AzaToth/Lead Article


text:
Talk:Newspaper campaigns to elevate Vancouver Olympic character from sidekick status

this is news worthy? Wikidsoup 20:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

 * as wackynews perhaps. --SVTCobra 23:03, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Moving a line
"Only 205 Vancouver Island marmots are known to exist, due to predators (mostly wolves and eagles), and loggers."

I'm moving the above line to below the paragraph stating that MUKMUK is a marmot. Where it is it is out of context because the article isn't about the declining marmot population but about mukmuk as a mascot. I wouldn't mind this line being near the top, but it needs to have a statement before it that connects it to the rest of the article. That is why I moved it down.

---or not. the page appears to be locked.


text:
McCain, Obama win "Potomac Primary" states

February 13, 2008

Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois and 2008 US presidential candidate has swept all three of today's Democratic contests in the "Potomac primaries" consisting of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. and the bordering states of Virginia and Maryland.

Obama led in the Virginia polls 67 percent, while in the District of Columbia, he lead 76 percent over opponent, New York senator Hillary Clinton's 24 percent. This sweep gives him a slight lead over Clinton in the delegate count. Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign lost an aide today, as campaign aide Mike Henry resigned making light of a small staffing crisis within the campaign as Clinton just replaced her campaign manager Patty Solis Doyle with Maggie Williams. Doyle remains with the campaign as a senior advisor.

Meanwhile, John McCain, the senator from Arizona and 2008 US presidential candidate has swept all three of today's Republican contests in the Potomac primaries. McCain obtained a slim margin of victory over opponent, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in Virginia and had a lead over Huckabee by nine points in the District.


text:
Danish police arrest three in cartoonist murder plot

February 13, 2008 In the early hours of Tuesday, Denmark's Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (PET) (Danish Security Intelligence Service), arrested three people for their connection to an alleged plot to murder one of the cartoonists from the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.

On September 30, 2005, Jyllands-Posten a Danish newspaper, published twelve cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. The paper solicited the cartoons for an article that explored "self-censorship" with regards to criticism of Islam. One of the cartoonists that responded was Kurt Westergaard, who contributed an image of Muhammed with a turban that looks like a bomb.

PET says that Westergaard was the target of an alleged plot to murder him. At 4:30 a.m. CET (UTC+1), in a pre-dawn raid, they arrested three men in Aarhus, Denmark. The men, two Tunisians and one Danish citizen of Moroccan origin, are suspected of planning to kill Westergaard.

PET commissioner Jakob Scharf said, "The purpose of the clampdown was to prevent a terror- related homicide. The clampdown occurred after a long period of surveillance."

The Danish citizen has been released. It is thought that this means that the evidence against him is not very strong. However, the 40-year-old man "will continue to be of interest for the PET" says Scharf.

The two other men, said to be 25 and 36 years of age, and who by all accounts were in Denmark legally, face deportation back to Tunisia. They are due to remain in custody until a judge can review their case on Thursday. "I have no idea about what is going to happen next. The ball is in the court of PET, and they are they ones who need to start talking and explain the meaning of all this. I have no idea what the next step is," said the public defender assigned to the Tunisians.

The government and the PET has yet to present their case in court. As a result, it is unknown what evidence there is of a plot. Also, it is unknown if the men were under orders from groups outside of Denmark, as has been speculated by media.

However, Scharf says that the pre-emptive police action "was to prevent a planned killing of one of the cartoonists behind the Muhammed-drawings." The primary objective was not to jail or deport anyone, but to prevent a murder.

The Prime Minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, commented: "Unfortunately, this case shows, that in Denmark, too, there are groups of extremists, who do not recognize and respect the founding principles upon which the Danish people's government is built."

Meanwhile, the editors-in-chief at the three biggest newspapers in Denmark have seen the alleged plot as a threat to their freedom of speech. These papers are Jyllands-Posten, Politiken og ''Berlingske Tidende. '' To reassert their rights they all plan to republish the controversial Muhammad drawings on Wednesday.

"We must in Danish media send a clear and unambiguous message to all, that might get the same insane thoughts, as those who would attack Kurt Westergaard," says Berlingske Tidende chief-editor Lisbeth Knudsen.

Westergaard, who is 73 years old, has been under police protection since he received death-threats shortly after the original publication of the cartoons. "I fear for my life, when the police tell me there are certain people who are working with concrete plans to kill me," he says.


text:
User talk:172.165.51.190

Response to comment on Huckabee, Obama win Iowa caucuses
I have removed the statement you cited at Huckabee, Obama win Iowa caucuses. That was obviously someone pushing their own POV. Diligent Terrier 20:44, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:172.165.51.190


text:
Finnish internet censorship critic blacklisted

February 12, 2008 The Finnish police have added Finnish hacker Matti Nikki's website lapsiporno.info criticizing Internet censorship to Finland’s new national child porn filter. The blacklisting was noticed when Finland's second largest Internet service provider Elisa started blocking the page today. More of the ISP's are expected to join the filtering when their blacklists are updated from the police's master list.

The banned site has been a harsh critic of Internet censorship over the last three years. It contains information and news about how censorship has been discussed and developing in Finland. Although the site's provocative name is lapsiporno.info ("childporn.info") there is no child porn on the site - the content is mainly text.

Tekniikka & Talous magazine asked Commissioner Lars Henriksson of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) why the page was censored. His answer was that he cannot discuss individual sites, but said that sites which are linking to child porn pages are also within the scope of the law. This interpretation, however, seems to conflict with the actual laws, the scope of which was supposed to be only sites with illegal pictures in foreign countries.

On Wednesday, NBI confirmed that site was censored because it published and maintained an incomplete version of the Finnish child porn blacklist. Nikki's list contained roughly two-thirds of the 1500 blacklist entries, and it was created by scanning a large amount of sites and logging the censored pages.

The scan also found that the top three results of a Google search for "gay porn" are blacklisted, and that most of the blocked sites are actually physically located in the United States or the European Union.

Leena Romppainen of Electronic Frontier Finland commented that "The local authorities have taken no action on these sites. Therefore, either the sites do not contain child pornography or the NBI has not informed the local authorities. Both of the alternatives are equally scary."

Matti Nikki's opinion is that the majority of the censored sites are legal adult sites and that the police are not doing that much research when they are deciding which sites to block.

Internet censorship has been a hot topic in Finland as of late. There have been proposals of extending Internet filtering to Internet gambling sites, sites related to terrorism and violence, and torrent-tracker The Pirate Bay.


text:
Comments:Paintings worth millions of euros stolen in Zürich

This is amazing. Something out of "The Italian Job".


text:
Comments:Finnish internet censorship critic blacklisted

Not sure if it's appropriate for Wiki but maybe it should be mentioned that the finnish censorship law doesn't have a clause about pages with links... It applies only to foreign sites and pages that contain pedopictures. Neither criteria fits the page in question.

Down With Big Brother
-161.88.255.240 22:25, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

 * Amen. Fephisto - (talk) 15:56, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Censorship
This is just rediculous. Even when it goes about stuff like terrorism, childporn, or violence, i still have the right to know and look up information about the matter, don't i?

Companies / governments deciding what the public can and can not see / know... This is a very dangerous development.—212.187.26.150 08:54, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

The guy who checked 1000 blocked links found only 2 kiddie porn sites among them. Altogether there were 1700 sites blocked. So theoretically there should have been perhaps 4 kiddie porn sites among the 1700 blocked sites. The program which does the blocking was costing 2 million Euros. My question is: How much work would it have been for a decent police officer to just contact the servers of those 4 sites and the local police where those servers were located? A day or two? Would this have cost 2 million Euros? I think hardly so and 1696 sites would have not being needlessly blocked but thats how a police state works. Just one more reason to be for a free society without a nanny control. Check also on Seaniehunter on Youtube to see what he went through because of political censorship by the Finnish police. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Liberty21century (talk • contribs) 17:24, 10 March 2008 (UTC)


title: File:12February2008.pdf


text: Wikinews:Print edition/February 2008

title: Wikinews:Print edition/February 2008


text:
MediaWiki:Signature

$2 (talk)

title: MediaWiki:Signature


text: User:Alton

title: User:Alton


text:
User talk:Alton

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! DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 21:55, 12 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 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!

title: User talk:Alton


text:
User talk:Zache

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! --Skenmy(t•c•w) 21:57, 12 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 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!

Your article
Fantastic work! A really good article - keep it up! --Skenmy(t•c•w) 21:57, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It is good just because those two IP:s from irc fixed my awful english. Fame goes for them at this time :) --Zache - (talk) 21:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Zache


text:
User talk:Onetiredguy

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! DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 22:16, 12 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 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!

title: User talk:Onetiredguy


text:
New 'Star Wars' film to be released in August

February 12, 2008 George Lucas has announced that there will be one last Star Wars movie to end the saga, but it won't have any actors visible.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated film is scheduled to be released into theaters on August 15 of this year.

"I felt there were a lot more 'Star Wars' stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward," said Lucas in a statement to the media.

Lucas says that although the film is animated, people can expect the same kind of galactic space battles and action that all the other Star Wars films have. The approximate running time of the film is 100 minutes.

The film is produced by Warner Brothers and Lucasfilm LTD. The new movie is also set to continue as an animated, 30 minute "mini-movie" series this autumn. The show can be seen on the Cartoon Network.


title: Wikinews:CommonsTicker/20080212


text:
Comments:University of Iowa cancels classes due to weather

I have attended the University of Iowa for nearly four years and have experienced several class cancellations due to severe weather circumstances. Although this is a rare occurrence in the University of Iowa's history, I have to say it has happened too many times in the last few years. Many of the cancellations have been questionable in my opinion, while there have been days where the weather has been completely miserable and I have found myself trudging through the snow/slush/freezing rain. Sometimes I wonder what is on the minds of the people of the University when they are making these decisions.


text:
Talk:Australian Parliament apologises to the Stolen Generations

Redfern Community Centre, Sydney
I was at the Redfern Community Centre from 8am until 10am. I observed events and took photos and notes. - Borofkin - (talk) 23:53, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Parliament House, Canberra
I was at Parliament House from about 7:10 a.m. and was in the Great Hall for the main speeches. I interviewed 3 people in the foyer and recorded interviews on my camera. I then joined the crowds on the lawns. Wm - (talk) 02:59, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Photos
If you upload photos to the Commons please put them in the Apology to the Stolen Generations category. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Borofkin (talk • contribs) 02:22, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Capitalisation of Parliament
I think the article title should have a capitalised Parliament, as it refers to a specific parliament. Simillarly, I believe that the banner in the feature story graphic is in error. Wm - (talk) 09:45, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Done. - Borofkin - (talk) 00:26, 14 February 2008 (UTC)


text: Comments:Story preparation/Wikinews interviews Jeff Jacobson, creator of LisaMcPherson.org


text: Category:Clover Moore

title: Category:Clover Moore


text:
File:Jyllands-Posten-pg3-article-in-Sept-30-2005-edition-of-KulturWeekend-entitled-Muhammeds-ansigt.png

Summary
This is a reduced resolution version of a PDF newspaper page for an article on page three of Jyllands-Posten 's culture section KulturWeekend entitled Muhammeds ansigt from September 30, 2005 which sparked the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. The PDF page, available to subscribers only, is accessible from JP's website, where an introductory (free) version can be found by choosing "E-avisen" in the upper right corner, choosing "2005", "September" and "Fredag d. 30." under "Arkiv" and pressing "Søg", then choosing "KulturWeekend" and going to page 3 (direct link).

Use of the image in the Wikinews article Danish police arrest three in cartoonist murder plot is believed to qualify as fair use since:
 * 1) It is not of sufficient resolution to facilitate easy reading of the article
 * 2) It is a single page, not part of a systematic mirror of Jyllands-Posten 's articles or images, and thus should not significantly inhibit Jyllands-Posten from selling their content.
 * 3) It is politically significant, as the page depicted sparked, among other things, controversy lasting several months, death threats against the cartoonists, boycotts of its country of origin, many violent protests and deaths as well as causing several politicians to resign from their posts.
 * 4) It adds significantly to the Danish police arrest three in cartoonist murder plot article and is being used there for informational purposes only.


text:
Wikinews:Dynamic quiz/quiz/2008/07

Welcome to the Wikinews World News Quiz, giving you a chance to test your knowledge on this week's news.

Last Updated: February 13, 2008

Quiz
{Which 2010 Olympic mascot does the Vancouver Sun say is not getting enough publicity? + Mukmuk, a marmot - Miga, a sea bear - Quatchi, a sasquatch - Sumi, a Thunderbird
 * type=""}
 * See Newspaper campaigns to elevate Vancouver Olympic character from sidekick status.

{On February 10, a fire broke out at the Namdaemun Gate. In which city is the historic landmark located? - Pyongyang - Busan + Seoul - Taipei
 * type=""}
 * See Arson suspected in Namdaemun gate fire in Seoul.

{In the hunt for kidney harvester Amit Kumar, police found his wife and two sons, who live in what country? - Nepal - United Kingdom - Pakistan + Canada
 * type=""}
 * See Police track kidney doctor to Brampton, Canada.

{Masdar City, the "green city" that recently began construction in the United Arab Emirates, will be able to hold a population of how many people? - 1000 + 5000 - 20000 - 75000
 * type=""}
 * See Abu Dhabi starts constructing 'green city'.

{What European module did Space Shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-122) deliver to the International Space Station? - Harmony - Columbia - Progress + Columbus
 * type=""}
 * See Columbus module added to ISS during spacewalk.

{In Iraq, two children were killed after eating cake laced with what toxic element? + Thallium - Uranium - Plutonium - Selenium
 * type=""}
 * See Two children killed after eating poisonous cake in Iraq; nine others remain ill.

{Why was East Timorean president José Ramos-Horta hospitalized? - Car accident + Shooting - Bombing - Plane crash
 * type=""}
 * See Rebels shoot East Timor president.

{What US state recently banned use of the electric chair in executions? - Kansas + Nebraska - Florida - Texas
 * type=""}
 * See Nebraska court bans the electric chair.

{A city in Israel is suing Google for an alleged inaccuracy in which of its products? + Google Earth - Google Maps - Google Web Search - Google Book Search
 * type=""}
 * See Israel town sues Google for slander.

{The Internet group Anonymous held protests against the Church of Scientology in how many different countries? - 5 - 11 + 14 - 50
 * type=""}
 * See Wikinews international report: "Anonymous" holds anti-Scientology protests worldwide.

 * Now you've finished the quiz, why don't you post your score on the talk page!

title: Wikinews:Dynamic quiz/quiz/2008/07


text:
Talk:Danish police arrest three in cartoonist murder plot

Notes: translations of quotes
I translated the following quotes myself. Here I will list the Danish followed by what I translated it into:

 * (da) "Jeg kan bekræfte, at formålet med PETs indsats i Århus natten mellem den 11. og 12. februar har været at forhindre et planlagt drab på en af tegnerne bag de Muhammed-tegninger, som Jyllands-Posten offentliggjorde den 30. september 2005." - politimester Jakob Scharf, PET
 * (en) "I can confirm, that the purpose of PET's action in Aarhus in the night between the 11th and 12th of February was to prevent a planned killing of one of the cartoonists behind the Muhammed-drawings, which Jyllands-Posten published on September 30, 2005." - commisioner Jakob Scharf, PET

 * (da) Jakob Scharf siger, »fortsat være genstand for PETs interesse«.
 * (en) Jakab Scharf says, "will continue to be of interest for the PET".

 * (da) "Jeg har ingen idé om, hvad der nu skal ske. Bolden ligger hos Politiets Efterretningstjeneste, og det er dem, der må lukke munden op og fortælle, hvad meningen er med alt dét her. Jeg aner ikke, hvad næste skridt bliver," siger forsvareren.
 * (en) "I have no idea about what is going to happen next. The ball is in the court of PET, and they are they ones who need to starting talking and explain the meaning of all this. I have no idea what the next step is," says the (public) defender.

 * (da) »Sagen viser desværre, at der også i Danmark er grupper af ekstremister, som ikke anerkender og respekterer de grundprincipper, det danske folkestyre bygger på,« Statsminister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
 * (en) "Unfortunately, this case shows, that in Denmark, too, there are groups of extemists, who do not recognize and respect the founding principles upon which the Danish people's government is built," Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen

 * (da) "Vi må i de danske medier sende et klart og utvetydigt signal til alle, der måtte få samme vanvittige tanke som dem, der ville angribe Kurt Westergaard," siger Berlingske Tidendes chefredaktør Lisbeth Knudsen
 * (en) "We must in Danish media sent a clear and unambiguous message to all, that might get the same insane thoughts, as those who would attack Kurt Westergaard," says BT chief editor Lisbeth Knudsen

-- --SVTCobra 02:57, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Any chance you could crop the cartoon panel to just show his own cartoon? It would seem more contextual for the article. Sherurcij 08:24, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

 * I thought about that ... however, I think that showing the context in which the image was first published, is almost as important as the image itself. --SVTCobra 14:33, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Why doesn't someone make this the leed? I think the OZ sotry has been up long enough, no? Nyarlathotep - (talk) 12:20, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

I have deleted the opinion that the 'turban' cartoon was the most offensive of the group (plus made a few grammar edits). If anyone can find a source (unlikely, I think) for that assertion, feel free to reinsert it. StockGear - (talk) 15:15, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * That's fine. I thought it was actually mentioned in one of sources as I try to be careful, but still, it is rather pov and doesn't add much to the article. --SVTCobra 02:14, 14 February 2008 (UTC)


title: File:13February2008.pdf


text:
Billy West, voice of Ren and Stimpy, Futurama, on the rough start that shaped his life

February 13, 2008 . .   and  on . . .  .  .  You may not think you have ever heard, but chances are on a television program, a movie, a commercial, or as 's voice guru in the 1990's, you have heard him. West's talent for creating personalities by twisting his voice has made him one of a handful of voice actors— and the late come to mind—who have achieved celebrity for their talent. Indeed, West is one of the few voice actors who can impersonate Blanc in his prime, including characterizations of, , and other characters from.

What is the fulcrum in Mr. West's life that led him to realize a talent to shape personalities with his voice, and how did the discovery of that gift shape him? Wikinews reporter David Shankbone found that like many great comedians, West faced more sour early in life than he did sweet. The sour came from a physically and emotionally abusive alcoholic father ("I could tell you the kind of night I was going to have from the sound of the key in the door or the way the car pulled up."), to his own problems with drug and alcohol use ("There is a point that you can reach in your life where you don’t want to live, but you haven’t made the decision to die.").

If sin, suffering and redemption feel like the stages of an endless cycle of American existence, West's own redemption from his brutalized childhood is what helped shape his gift. He performed little bits to cheer up his cowed mother, ravaged by the fact she could not stop her husband's abuse of young West. "I was the whipping boy and she would just be reduced to tears a lot of times, and I would come in and say stuff, and I would put out little bits just to pull her out of it."

But West has also enjoyed the sweet. His career blossomed as his talent for creating entire histories behind fictional characters and creatures simply by exploring nuance in his voice landed him at the top of his craft. You may never again be able to forget that behind the voice of your favorite character, there is often an extraordinary life.

Below is David Shankbone's interview with renowned voice actor Billy West, who for the first time publicly talks about the horrors he faced in his childhood; his misguided search for answers in anger, drugs and alcohol; and the peace he has achieved as one of America's most recognizable voice actors.

The use of celebrities for voiceovers
'''David Shankbone: You’re known for speaking about the use of  to do. What is your central problem with their use?

 * : My problem is that if they were judged by the same standards we were, that we have to try and get work with, they would be pretty piss poor as.

'''DS: What standards are those?

 * BW: The standards are that you have a really special voice that you can go around and do that voice and make a living that people just instantly love it. Nobody is just instantly in love with the usual suspects. Voices that we see in the cartoon movies now.

'''DS: Like ?

 * BW: No, he's different, he understands character. I mean he understands characterization and voice changes. And so does  and so does.

DS:  as well in '?

 * BW: No, that’s not it because he‘s doing a character that looks exactly like him and sounds exactly like him. I mean, Will Smith does characters that are drawn to look like him and sound like him. I wish I had that luxury. Nobody draws a character that looks like me and sounds like me for me to just step in and be the perfect person for the role. You know what I mean?

'''DS: What’s the solution? Not to do characters around stars?

 * BW: The thing is, I don’t have an issue with the fact that these movies are being made. If I could audition for them and I didn’t get them, I still wouldn’t have an issue with them. But this is the thing: they audition us for these movies and then they play it for the A-list people, for these celebrities, so they can strip my talents’ abilities and kind of toss them over to the celebrity just to make it look better than it would be. And I’m not a teacher. Not a paid teacher. I don’t like that stuff.

'''DS: They’ll have you come in, or someone of your caliber come in, and actually shape the voice around the character and then they’ll present it to the celebrity as the template?

 * BW: Yeah, and sometimes you’ll actually hear stuff that you actually thought of during the audition, because you have to really be on your toes.

'''DS: Are you paid for that?

 * BW: Not really. Only a couple gigs did I ever get paid to scratch a movie for a celebrity that was going to do it. The stuff that goes on at auditions is despicable.

'''DS: Are there legal remedies that you could pursue for that?

 * BW: No. I gotta prove it. I used to bring a tape recorder around with me, but still, it’s like trying to . It is what it is. But that’s my real issue with it is that this is an  for experienced voice-over people who do create characters and not just do who and what they are. It takes away from the creative process.

'''DS: There was a similar issue involved with. They had taken a likeness of one of his earlier roles. I think it was Then they tried to pass it off later as him and he sued them for doing that. Are you familiar with that situation?

 * BW: It only means anything to me if he won.

'''DS: He did.

 * BW: Oh, he did! That’s very similar. But the thing is, if you could prove that. You can’t prove that somebody deliberately took the stuff and tossed it off to some person that’s acting. But it’s a dirty business and I won’t do it anymore. I never really quite got what it’s all about. It’s to show up and to sound exactly like the character and to read it, yet you’re doing it the way that you would do it. It’s not good business as far as I’m concerned. It’s not my part of town.

'''DS: Has your speaking out on this issue hurt you in any way?

 * BW: In what way?

'''DS: In your career?

 * BW: No.

'''DS: There’s no reaction against it from the studios or from the ….?

 * BW: No they don’t give a shit which voice-over person is in the alleyways beating the piss out of the other one to get a gig. I mean, they don’t care. They really don’t.

Iconic characters and choosing projects
'''DS: You discussed in an interview issues about the weight of the character’s legacies, such as  or. You had said that every time they do one of these they say, 'this time it’s going to be different. We’re putting the teeth back in those characters. Nobody is going to tell us what we can’t write and what we can write.' And you said they always blow it. How do they blow it?
 * BW: They pander. Slowly they take away the aspects of what made those characters who and what they were. In other words,  contained sometimes gratuitous violence with the squash and stretch animation. Sometimes it was gratuitous. But that was only an aspect of the cartoon. When you start stripping away those things that made it a full dimension character, you’re going to have Xeroxes of it in every way including creativity. The worst mistake Warner Brothers ever did was make all these characters friends, because then you took away the dynamic.  wanted to kill . There was no question in anybody’s mind.  wanted to kill . There was no question in anyone’s mind, unless you wanted to say, “He just wanted to eat him. He didn’t want to kill him.” Go figure that out. There was danger involved, and some life truths involved. When you’re telling the truth, you’re really dealing with . If you don’t have the truth on your side, then comedy can’t spring from it, unless you have some weird hydroponic garden that doesn’t need any of the standard things that it takes to grow something.

'''DS: How do you choose a project, or does the project choose you?

 * BW: It works both ways. I get offers for stuff. If it looks like a good offer, I’ll take it. I’m not a snob. I love working, and every now and then somebody will say, “Why did you do that?” You know what? It’s none of your business. All I owe you is a good performance.

'''DS: Where do you think voice acting is going? It doesn’t seem like it’s ever an art that’s going to lose its place, but do you see it diminishing? Is it on a downturn? Is it on an upturn? Is it idling?

 * BW: What they’re doing slowly is they’re going to have to turn the celebrities and actors into cartoons, slowly but surely, because it’s the look that people are seduced by. It’s almost as if they like watching animation more than they do live action because of all the farms of kids being fostered to love computer-generated images. If you don’t do this, if you don’t start turning all of the celebrities into cartoons, we’ll lose our star system. It’s better to have their likenesses with their voices rather than trying to act out something that sprung from someone’s imagination that needed a concerted effort to give it a voice, a look. These characters are actors, they look like themselves, but they’re doing it with cartoon and computer processing. This is where it’s going.

'''DS: With computer animated voices?

 * BW: No, no, no. The stars will never go away. Let’s start there. If they have to become cartoons they will, because it’s a trend in the industry that these kinds of movies make more money than the regular ones do, for the most part. And they have no use for people that can create any kind of a character that’s shaped to whatever you want. That’s not useful in this case.

Discovering his talent
'''DS: Do you remember a time in your life when you started recognizing your talent for being able to shape your voice into memorable characters?

 * BW: I never really noticed. It was just so natural to me. What I used to do was hide it because no one would say anything. When somebody’s mind got blown around you, they just resented you or would find a reason to not like you. What happened was, I grew up thinking that everybody could do it, but that they were just too cool to do it.

'''DS: You had a talent that seemed very trite to you, but very few other people could do it and you didn't recognize that?

 * BW: Yeah. I didn’t even think that it was something that was gifted upon me. I mean I never thought of it like that. I thought everybody was exactly the same. And then I would hear that nobody was doing the kinds of thing that I did and I began to feel weird and I retreated for various reasons.  If I showed up at a  game I started calling the plays like an old-time sportscaster. You would think people would like that. But it would be met with, 'Who do you think you are?'

'''DS: You would feel a compulsion to do the plays in a voice?

 * BW: Yes. And I definitely wanted to get approval. Every kid wants that. But I would do those things because I heard the radio and I would listen to what people actually had to say. I just had my own approach to everything. Every little town weirdo like me grows up to come to the Mecca of weirdos, which is.

'''DS: I’m not a voice actor, but there’s times I’ll hear a person say a phrase. I covered the Iranian president speaking at Colombia for Wikinews and I watched these dueling ideologues who were normal citizens. One of them was this large black woman with a yelling at this  guy. I recorded these voices. She had one of those voices that I just couldn’t get out of my head. She just kept going, “You’re evil. You’re going to burn in Hell.” I found myself saying it aloud over and over and over again because her voice and what she said made such an impression on me that I wanted to imitate it. There was such a history behind that voice. She probably could have just said, “Buy ,” and I would still be saying it over and over and over again.

 * BW: Sure. That’s what I mean about some people having naturally quirky voices. You’ve heard people in your life, like you meet a girl, a full-grown woman, who goes [in high pitched squeal], “I wanted to ask you.” And you go, 'Drop the act. Is this a put-on?'  And I go, “Shit, you should be doing cartoons!”

"It was a horror chamber where I grew up"
'''DS: Is how you developed your talent when you were younger based upon imitating others? You would hear things that would leave impressions on you and you would want to imitate them? But why would you want to imitate them?

 * BW: Because I had no role models.  My dad was a certifiable  and he made my life a living hell and it was a horror chamber where I grew up and when I grew up.  The guy used to  left and right, for any random reason. He was a raving . I grew up with him making fun of me. I was forced to retreat into a world where I couldn’t get hurt or beat up or anything like that.

'''DS: It was escapism ...?

 * BW: Well yeah. You gotta understand, it was like I was a little kid. I’m not a magical being. My dad tried to kill me about fifteen times.

'''DS: So when you would escape into those voices, you felt a sense of safety?

 * BW: Yes. 'Cause I was surrounded by things that wouldn’t be a threat to me.

'''DS: And things that you could control through your own voice.

 * BW: Yes.

'''DS: Whereas you couldn’t control what an alcoholic authority figure was going to do.

 * BW: I was like an alien; I was an observation unit, trying to study the human condition, not consciously, but because I had to. I could tell you the kind of night I was going to have from the sound of the key in the door or the way the car pulled up. I was hyper vigilant. So all I was, was this unit from space that had nothing but data gathering and sensory equipment.

'''DS: What was your dad’s reaction to your doing voices?

 * BW: It didn’t register on the radar because, number one, I wasn’t really doing it in the time I spent with him. The other thing was that he was a frustrated talent. He could sit down at the  and just start playing it, having no lessons or training. He could do dialogs and he could do voices.  He was very funny, you know, among his friends and all that. He was also a musician, a drummer. And I became a musician except I wasn’t a, I was a .  The thing is, he could never make it pay. All he had was a string of jobs. Driving a beer truck then driving a soda pop truck then driving an ice cream truck. You know what I mean? Like a  kind of thing.

'''DS: Where was your mom during all this?

 * BW: She was trying to make a household and trying to keep the place as sane as she possibly could.

West moves to Boston after his parents divorce
'''DS: It doesn’t sound like she was very successful.

 * BW: She had to leave him. She came into the  one day.  I saw my mother at school and I was mortified like any other kid would be. She talked to the teacher and they went out in the hall. My mom came and I went with her to the airport. It was like going on a trip. We got out of, Michigan and we were on a plane to Boston. Me and my two brothers. One was a baby and the other one was like, gosh, he had to be seven or six because I was about eleven. This was back in 1963.

'''DS: When did you come to a realization that your voice was something that you wanted to turn into a career?

 * BW: It never was a realization. I started playing  in grade school when I was ten years old and I liked the idea of . And I was in a couple of plays in school and I really liked that world. I felt totally at home with it cause you had to be ready for anything and you had to be vigilant and you had to be on your toes, which actors need as skill and survival tools. So it was the perfect place for me to be. It’s not like I was a hollow, empty vessel. I had plenty of things percolating inside and all that, but I needed to be where I to be where I felt good and I never fit in with other kids.  I only had, like, two friends, maybe one, who was, “You like that  too?” You know, that kind of stuff. Getting called faygot by any random goon.

'''DS: Did you say  or ?

 * BW: No, it’s faggot, but they would pronounce it fay-got, you know, in Boston. Faygot. What are you, faygot? What are you, queer?

'''DS: Do you think that’s had any lasting effect on you?

 * BW:  Well, I can now get crazy without being angry or raging because I know how to do it. Everything you do has to come from something real. You have to tap into something. Otherwise, there’s nothing to grab hold of if you’re a watcher or a listener or whatever. There’s nothing for you there. It’s no fun for the.

'''DS: They say that all great comedians typically have extraordinary tragedy in their lives, and they develop their humor as a response to it.

 * BW: Yes, but I developed mine a lot of the times to comfort my mom. Because she saw the way I was being treated. Not so much my brothers, but I was the  and she would just be reduced to tears a lot of times, and I would come in and say stuff, and I would put out little  just to pull her out of it.

'''DS: Even though you were hurting, it would hurt you to see her hurting over you.

 * BW: Yes. And you know, I could take a beating. I finally learned how to just galvanize myself where you just totally like disassociate and your body can sit there and get smacked around and punched or whatever and your mind is a million miles away.

'''DS: What made you the whipping boy?

 * BW: Well my dad was very very angry. He was abused as a child and he lived in a matriarchal situation with his mother and her sister and then her mother and there were all these big German ….  I don’t know, like real staunch [people], angry and punishment-inclined. He liked to dish out punishment ….

'''DS: What would make you the one that he would unleash that upon as opposed to your brothers?

 * BW: Because I could do little things that he seemed to be threatened by.

'''DS: Like what?

 * BW: I could draw. He was an artist. I could pick up a pen and start drawing immediately. He was a musician, a drummer. Then, I learned to play guitar when I was ten years old. He didn’t sit right with any of these things. Plus, he was very jealous of me because my mother loved me more than him.

'''DS: An  issue?

 * BW: Well, yeah, but it happened from Day One. He resented eventually the fact that I was born 'cause I took away his mommy.

'''DS: What is your relationship with your brothers like? Did they see this going on? Did they feel bad for you?

 * BW: Only my other brother. He's dead now. He bore witness to an awful lot of stuff and he, himself, was the brunt of an awful lot of stuff that I teased him and bothered him, 'cause it trickled down.

How West dealt with his father's abuse
'''DS: You said your father was a victim of abuse himself and that pattern often repeats. How did you stop that pattern? Was it through your voice work?

 * BW: No, not really. I had a mean streak. But I’m such a dyed-in-the-wool animal lover. I’ve always had pets.  I would be so filled with anger and rage that on my way to school, it was literally a “kick at the cat” as they used to say. You’re angry and you don’t know where to direct it. You’ll kick a wall that has wet paint on it. That’ll teach them.  And hurt yourself doing it. I’d go out and kick the shit out of some little cat or something, just like you know, smack it. You know, go over and go to pet it, then whack it because that’s all I knew. In a weird way, in a weird permutation of the whole situation, to me that was supposed to be love. Cause why would your parent hit you, hurt you? Why? It never makes sense to a kid. And they all used to say, “It’s because I care about you.” But I got over that stuff and what I did was start to hurt myself.

'''DS: How so?

 * BW: I started drinking and doing  when I was about 21. I was playing in a band and it was all part of the picture, you know. It could be rosy for you. You couldn’t survive anywhere else, but in a band you were like golden.  I used to punch walls, cause ruckuses and get into fights wherever I went. You know, throw things at people.

Rehabilitation and sobriety
'''DS: How did you stop the fights and the drugs?

 * BW: I had to go to . I had a job in radio. I stopped playing music. I tried to do some standup comedy, but I don’t have the discipline for it. I used to just go out there and not care if I died or lived or whatever. You know, I’d just say stuff. I was always searching. I just couldn’t go up there and do twelve minutes and pretend like I’d just thought of it, you know, for three years.

'''DS: Are you still ?

 * BW: Oh yeah. I’ve been sober for 22 years. But I had to go into rehab. I had a series of .  I almost got killed one night but I just walked away from it chuckling,.

'''DS: Were you at a point where you didn’t necessarily want to die, but you just didn’t care if you lived?

 * BW: That’s pretty much it, yeah. You put your finger on it. There is a point that you can reach in your life where you don’t want to live but you haven’t made the decision to die.

'''DS: Whatever happens happens.

 * BW: Yeah. You let the wind blow you around. I have a zillion stories. I should write a book.  These are stories that you think, 'No, that couldn’t be true. That couldn’t possibly be true.'  I was in radio around the same time too. I went back to playing music in the early eighties after a hiatus. I started playing again with a couple of people and I was also working radio but I was in a constant . And people said I was good on the radio. I don’t know what I did or said. I just used to come in there and turn the place upside down. I was too good to fire. But they didn’t know what to do with me, you know. I’d come in in the middle of a night—

'''DS: And that would almost egg you on?

 * BW: No, no. It wasn’t that. They wouldn’t just grab me and throw me up against a wall and say, “Listen, you little fuck, you’re going to rehab.” I got away with this kind of behavior and it was awful because I was terrorizing people. Not during the day. At night. And stories. There would always be stories and then it would make the papers. You know, that kind of stuff. I finally cracked up a car and I was in for non-payment of rent and the judge says, 'I don’t care about this non-payment of rent thing, but you’re doing a week in Charles Street Jail for this DWI that you never answered for.'  This was before the advent of computers. Now, they press a button and it spits out everything. But back then, you could screw up in one town and then go to another town and do exactly the same thing and they could never put them together because everything was on paper.

'''DS: Now it’s all electronic.

 * BW: But I wasn’t proud of that. That was the lowest point of my life. But I’ve been sober for longer than I was a user. Twenty-two years.

Is West glad he experienced addiction?
'''DS: Are you in some way glad that you went through the drug and alcohol abuse?

 * BW: I could ask you the same thing and I don't mean to pull a "Donald Rumsfeld," interviewing myself.  But I could ask you the same thing. Are you glad? Because if you are where you are and it seems okay, then you had to have gone through those things for you to be the total sum of your experiences which led you to the very spot and the very phone you’re talking on. You know what I mean?  And so it’s almost like no matter what you did, if you finally get yourself together and you mean well and things are going okay, it’s like, 'Well, it had to be that way.' The universe obviously had to teach me something.

'''DS: Do you believe in a ?

 * BW: Yes I do. I don’t know what it is. I just think its some higher form of energy and some sort of being, but I can’t embody it in my mind. But I know I have a one to one, kind of a spiritual connection to whatever that is. See I was raised, I had  shoved down my throat. I was an . I knew the mass in Latin.

'''DS: Me too.

 * BW: Really?

'''DS: I didn’t know the mass in Latin, but I was an altar boy and I had Catholicism shoved down my face, but I’m 33, so  had happened.

 * BW: Yeah, and then you get "Father PreCum" trying to give you a massage and shit like that.

'''DS: The priest at my church got a nun pregnant and my mother, who was the president of the  at my Catholic grade school, helped deliver the baby and keep the whole thing hidden.

 * BW: Really?

'''DS: Yeah. And he’s still the priest.

 * BW: I think it’s probably a guy masquerading as a, if you’re talking about priests.

West on his career
'''DS: Where do you see yourself now in your career?

 * BW: Exactly where I want to be. You know, I feel bad for kids who want to be . They will always be needed. I always encourage them. They’re always going to need what you offer. And you can make a living if you’re really good. But there’s only so far you can go now. Before, the sky was the limit. There wasn’t these rigged fights standing in your way. 'Cause right now, it’s like a rigged fight. You can still audition and get great satisfaction on the job as a voiceover. And that’s all I ever really wanted to be.

 * But I did aspire to do animations that required voice work. And I’ve done some of it and then this trend set in. And believe me we don’t get the kind of money those people get for doing voices. It’s rather odd to me. At some point I realized many years ago—I was a teenager in the sixties, protesting with the long hair, running around with the hippies—I realized when I looked at all the guys we were supposed to hate so much and resent, I kind of analyzed what complacency was, and they seemed complacent to me. They reached a point in their lives where they felt good about themselves and just cause a bunch of kids come along that were popping drugs and accusing you of this and that and being the man and everything, you think your feelings states are never going to change. And I used to say they’re complacent. But the thing is that everybody that’s born pretty much has to reach that point where they’re looking down the barrel of their own complacency. You gotta like do a little gear shifting.

'''DS: At what point was that for you?

 * BW: When I stopped drinking, of course. But I couldn’t play music in the way I wanted to play it anymore. I would have been like a  of myself. So that didn’t seem truthful to me.  Trying to do comedy seemed truthful to me, but then, like I told you before, I didn’t have the discipline to do . That term wasn’t popular much before the . Then you started hearing these stand-up comics. When I was a kid and when I was a teenager, doing comedy meant you were interrupting somebody’s dinner in a restaurant. There was no comedy clubs per se. But the turning point—it’s called survival. It’s like being a . You evolve or die. When I was kid I thought everybody was like me and all these people I hang with are going to be running the country and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

West on politics
[continued from previous section]

'''DS: Well they are. It’s just things have changed.

 * BW: I’m way older than a lot of these guys by the way, that are out there. But to me they look like old men with bad breath and.

'''DS: Who are you talking about?

 * BW: Republicans.

'''DS: Yeah.

 * BW: You know, the guys that are running things. They don’t look like people that came from my generation at all. I’m as old as Karl Rove, or any of those idiots and it’s like, 'Where did you come from?' It’s still the same old geezers that hide behind religion and, and then  and scandal prone because that’s sort of what the party is famous for. I hated those guys and I didn’t grow up to be one. But then I watch all these people from my generation just suddenly morph into that and I’m still in a state of shock. Where did these  and these little ,  that are filled with Republican ideology come from? It’s like they’re young. What is this, you know.

'DS: It’s confusing because you look at somebody like Dick Cheney, who has this lesbian daughter, who’s in a gay marriage [Poe and Cheney have not entered into a formal union - ed''] and now has a baby with, and you just don’t know how the situation exists. It’s hard to comprehend. That exists in the Republican party, and that she seems to be fine with that existence and even works for it.

 * BW: I know, it’s almost like it shouldn’t be possible, yet it is. And these guys are thumping their chests about it.  I don’t go for that. It’s like saying you don’t approve of who and what your daughter is by birth. I’ll never understand that. And, again, Cheney is only like six or seven years older than me. You know what I mean?  Like where the  did this  come from?

Billy West on modern American society
'''DS: Has the Iraq War affected you much as a person?

 * BW: Yeah, totally. I watched the whole  thing go down and it’s the exact same thing. You think we would learn, but we don’t because the proof of that is there’s  to something that happened a couple years before I was born, that there was . Now there’s people that aren’t sure whether that happened or not, no matter how many shoes are piled up and down in Washington, D.C..

'''DS: Teach the controversy. Make it appear there are two sides to every fact.

 * BW: Yeah, but there ain't two sides to science. And when you start, then you’re in  land. The pretense of it all really bothers me. I hate sitting there, talking to a guy that’s looking me right in the eye, and he’s lying to me. I hate when adults play pretend. I hate it more than anything. The only time I want to play pretend is when I can play like a child and not make it into an ideology.  I know I go way off the subject, but I have a lot to say and a lot of people say, as far as the animation and the celebrities and all that, you know, I’m not so outspoken. Maybe not everybody talks about it, but what am I going to do? It’s the truth.

'''DS: Do you think we live in a fear-based society now?

 * BW: It’s no secret to anybody, unless you fell off a potato truck somewhere. Back-street America.

'''DS: What is the reasoning behind questions like, 'Aren’t you afraid of saying such-and-such thing?'

 * BW: Because the person is usually fear-driven himself and totally understands the consequences of telling the truth. You don’t get rewarded for it, let’s put it that way.

'''DS: Are you optimistic?

 * BW: I’m  about my own life and things changing for the better. I don’t pin my existence on the . I really don’t. Some people, without their fame, they would just roll up into a ball and bounce away and I’m like a reluctant famer, if you know what I mean.  means nothing to me. The word means nothing to me. I don’t know if I said this. I probably already did because I’ve been talking so long. But if you  the  you can be a celebrity. It’s bloodless. It’s artless. It’s Godless. But, fuck, that’s what people want. And the idea that the word celebrity and the word diva has been watered down into any girl with a belly button now and some gold chain around her neck can be a . It doesn’t matter why they call the great talents divas, you know women in the theater. It’s a pass-fail society. It’s like, in my opinion, the guy that can fart the national anthem and is famous is totally equal to someone else who actually has talent and worked their ass off and became famous for having a gift. But it can be debated. It’s like you’re saying there’s good art and bad art. Then there’s like, well define art. It’s endless. It’s infinite.

'''DS: And you think that they are equal?

 * BW: No, of course not.

'''DS: You’re saying in today’s culture they are equal?

 * BW: Both can be famous. That’s not the kind of fame that I would want and the other kind of fame is a certain flavor of misery too because there’s a trade-off that you lose your personal life. I spent enough time in the fantasy world. I don’t watch . These are the kind of people I couldn’t wait to get away from in  and I’m going to chronicle their stupid adventures, you know? I don’t live there. I don’t watch television.

'''DS: I don’t have cable, so I know how you feel.

 * BW: Yeah, but even if I had, , everything, I don’t watch television. I surround myself with things that edify me, not because it’s there. I’m an information freak. I’m a news freak. But it’s got to be truthful news and that’s why I’ll go to the  on the Internet.  There’s less pressure with the truth teller over there.

'''DS: It’s amazing when you hear the BBC interview British politicians. We find it shocking that they’ll say things like “Aren’t you essentially lying when you say that?”

 * BW: But that was the . That was the idea that you owe your readers. You’ve been entrusted to deliver news to them and even if it’s an editorial or an interview, the idea is to get as much true information so people can decide for themselves. I don’t care if the interviewer’s biased. If I get enough information, I have a chance to be biased or not.

'DS: That's an argument on Wikipedia: people make the argument, 'let's present the information out there and let the reader decide.''
 * BS: Yeah, but if a lot of times the information is totally incorrect to begin with.

'''DS: Exactly,and it can be difficult to decide what to believe when reasonable minds can differ, but I think it's very problematic to ever argue "just let the reader decide." I don't know if Wikipedia is the place for that fight, but in the news media, that is the place for the fight. I interviewed Gay Talese, who quoted Norman Mailer who said the media is like a donkey, and you must feed the donkey every day; the donkey will eat anything: garbage, tin cans, slop. And report on whatever they are fed.

Billy West on telling it like it is
'''DS: Are your voices an attempt to understand reality?

 * BW: Well yeah. All I was presented with was life as it was deconstructing and disintegrating. And I had to pick up whatever pieces I had off the floor and try to put it together in a way that made sense to me. I don’t know if I’m making myself all that clear.

'''DS: No you are.

 * BW: Yeah, I’m telling you stuff that I never said to anybody.

'''DS: Well it’s good.

 * BW: You’re like the  of your generation.  And I’m not going to protect an image I don’t really have.  Nobody wants to hear what I really think about politics. I totally understand it. It’s like, every night is opening night if you’re a performer. Okay that’s done. Now what? I mean if everyone had to answer that standard in their job.  "Now what are you going to do?" Because I don’t get told what to do. I audition for everything because if you want to work you’ve got to audition. Some people call me out of the blue and say, 'We just want you,' which is very nice and I worked really hard for that status. But I still audition for everything. There’s a show coming up called Rahan and there’s a 26 episode commitment on that. I’ll be starting that soon. I can’t tell you much about it because I’ve only read the auditions, the lines I was supposed to do. And the other thing is  is going to keep me busy for awhile even though all the  work is done. There’s lots of projects that are related to it. And I’m still doing the . I really love what I do and I don’t want people to think I’m sitting here angry all the time. I’m absolutely happy and I like what my life has become. But I still will start feeling weird if somebody asks me a question and I can’t tell the truth about it. I’m just telling it like it is.

'''DS: That's perfect. I will send you a link to the interview when it is published.

 * BW: That would be fine. I’d appreciate it. There's so much wrong on Wikipedia, like that I got booted off the Stern show.  I feel a lot of dehumanized lie dispensers get a hold of these things and just make it so. Believe me, there’s this very small but very active group of posters that want to keep dancing in the pet cemetery with animal corpses.

'''DS: It doesn’t say anything negative about the Stern show. It just mentions the characters that you did and that you were on there. And the only thing it says is that “Billy has since claimed that he left the Stern show because WXRK management refused to give him a sufficient pay raise.”

 * BW: Yeah. That’s the real reason. That’s cool. They finally got that in there. For a while there it was like, He was going to be, but he didn’t make the cut. He wasn’t Invader Zim and somebody else was. That’s so stupid to me. Rick Horowitz was a friend of mine. He was better at it than I was. That’s a fact of life. Instead of printing what I didn’t do. I mean, there should be a link to the list of voice credits, if you can find one. You know a complete one.

'''DS: There’s a link to your official web site on there. And there’s also a link to Voicechasers database and a link to Internet Movie database and a link to an interview with you on CNBC.

 * BW: Oh. The  interview. That was weird too. I mean I really love Donny Deutsch, but he kept asking, 'What it’s like making all of this money?' Because that’s what the show is. It’s about finance or something. I mean, I know the guy. I actually used to work for him because he had Deutsch Advertising, when I was doing commercials. But he had to keep the money thing going because that’s the channel basically. His show was about that and I was embarrassed. I mean, now that you’ve got millions because we know that you’re working. I’m in the same boat you are Donny. As far as your house goes, you want what’s yours and what touches yours to avoid encroachment. And it’s never enough because fate keeps throwing stuff at you and nobody knows what it’s like to pay a seven figure tax, in quarters over a year. You wind up about the same except that you have more stuff than most people.