text:
New South Wales, Queensland to have electorates redrawn: Australian Electoral Commission

February 20, 2009 The Australian Electoral Commission has announced that electorates for the federal election will be redrawn in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. The Australian House of Representatives has 150 members elected from single representative electorates.

New South Wales will lose an electorate while Queensland gains one. "The figures show the population for Queensland has increased sufficiently to result in that State increasing its entitlement from 29 to 30 seats,” said Electoral Commissioner Ed Killesteyn. “At the same time, the entitlement for New South Wales will reduce from 49 to 48 seats.”

A similar occurrence occurred before the 2007 election, with the electorate of Gwydir in New South Wales being abolished and the electorate of Flynn being created in central Queensland.


text:
Violence erupts in Guadeloupe after labor dispute

February 19, 2009 Violence has erupted in Guadeloupe after a month-long general strike protesting the high costs of food and fuel.

A union official, Jacques Bino, has been reported killed by armed youths at a barricade in Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest city. Three police officers were injured when they tried to reach the scene. "He was killed at a roadblock held by rioters, a group of youth who were mostly wearing masks," Prefect Nicolas Desforges told France Info. "He wasn’t killed in a confrontation with police."

Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France. The French government urged calm and called for a meeting between the disputing parties. Workers in Guadeloupe are seeking a $250 per month pay raise.

French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie said that France is sending 260 National Gendarmerie officers to quell the violence.

Minister of Overseas France, Yves Jégo, said that France has set aside €190 million for increased food, housing, and unemployment allowances in Guadeloupe.

Meanwhile, there are reports that unrest has spread to nearby Martinique.

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


text:
Category:Guadeloupe

de:Kategorie:Guadeloupe fa:رده:جزیره گوادلوپ fr:Catégorie:Guadeloupe pl:Kategoria:Gwadelupa

title: Category:Guadeloupe


text:
Wikinews:Picture of the Year 2008/round 2

Candidates
Eight votes were required for an image to be carried into the second round. As such, there are 11 candidate images for voting in this round:

Votes
Voting is now closed. Please do not add more votes.

Please vote with a list of all the images which you believe should be carried through to round three, formatted in the following way:
 *  *A, T, AA, AJ ~

-
 * A, T, AA, AJ Example voter not to be counted 19:39, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

- Voting is now closed (as of 02:55, 28 February 2009 (UTC). Hargau was the last person to vote).
 * L, AL -- ♪ Tempo Di  Valse ♪ 03:22, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I, L, P, AQ, AY Jonhall (talk) 03:28, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AQ, AK -- Jeandré du Toit (talk) 10:03, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * i turnerd10 6:55, 20 February 2009 (Central America Time) Vote invalid as user has less than 50 edits on Wikimedia projects Anonymous101talk 09:25, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AK, DB Van der Hoorn (talk) 12:57, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * N, DB Ottre (talk) 14:48, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * P Computerjoe (talk) 15:34, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AY, P -- Shakata Ga Nai ^_^ 18:00, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * L, AL, AQ Fale (talk) 18:09, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * N, P, D Cmelbye (talk) 18:50, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * D, N, AY —Calebrw (talk) 22:13, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AL NuclearWarfare (talk) 00:36, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * P IlyaHaykinson (talk) 06:43, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I, AK, AL, DB Anonymous101talk 08:39, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AF, L, N Anonymous Vote made by IP Address removed Anonymous101talk 20:35, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AK, DB --boo (talk) 19:24, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I, P, AF, AY ---Jcart1534 (talk) 20:45, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * L, DB, AK. seresin (¡?) 07:35, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AL, AY. --Yuriybrisk (talk) 13:25, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * D, L, N, AQ --Melancholie (talk) 16:23, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * P Aleichem (talk) 19:24, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * D, AK, AQ Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 19:30, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * D, L, N, P, AK, AQ, AY Wesha (talk) 19:34, 22 February 2009 (UTC) (see my edits on en.wikipedia, ru.wiktionary)
 * P, AL -Djsasso (talk) 21:11, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * D, L, N --Savant-fou (talk) 21:15, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * P, AF, AK. --Steven Fruitsmaak (Reply) 21:24, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
 * DP, AF, AK Prosfilaes (talk) 01:48, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * L, P, AY Lvova (talk) 04:25, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I vote for "File:2008TaipeiCityNewYearCountdownParty Firework Taipei101.jpg". It's really amazing & upbeat. --Mahmudmasri (talk) 06:56, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AL, L, D --Baiji (talk) 07:53, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * L, P, AK, AL Jhattara (talk) 14:11, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AY, P Ed 18:32, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I, N and DB. --Olando (talk) 18:46, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AF, DB --Kays (talk) 21:51, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AK, AF, AL -- fr33k man t 23:06, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * D, I, AQ Bibliomaniac15 (talk) 01:08, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * L, AF --SVTCobra 01:16, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * P, AF - Chaojoker (talk) 08:54, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AF, AY Papercutbiology (talk) 11:22, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * P, AY Patrol110 (talk) 12:00, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I, L, AF DWolf2k2 (talk) 00:55, 27 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I, AL -- Kevinhksouth (talk) 04:25, 27 February 2009 (UTC)
 * AL, I, N Hargau (talk) 16:54, 27 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:DragonFire1024

 Click here to append a message to this page. Remember to sign your posts by adding four tildes ( ~ . ) at the end. Yes, even if you're not a logged in user.

Talk Page Archives
I archive my talk pages so questions here can be quickly answered.
 * January 2006.
 * February 2006.
 * March 2006.
 * April 2006.
 * Present archive
 * February 2, 2007 and earlier.
 * February-March, 2007
 * March-April 2007
 * April 2007
 * April-June 2007.
 * April (cont.)-July 2007.
 * July (cont.)-August 2007.
 * August-October 2007.
 * October 2007 - Mid January 2008.
 * January - February 2008.
 * April 2008
 * Mid April - July 2008
 * August - October 2008
 * November - December 2008
 * January - February 2009
 * February 2009 - August 2010
 * April 2007 - October 2014

Malaysia says debris found in Maldives could be from MH370
Hi Jason. Are you still online? I was going to start a review of your latest article, but immediately ran into a problem with the lead quote. It is not attributed to anyone specific and I can't find it in the sources. I'd rather you fix before I will be forced to give it a fail in review. As far as I can tell, nobody has said that any parts found in Maldives are definitely from MH370. Cheers, --SVTCobra 20:54, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * this is Jason. I can't log in on my phone. The quote regarding the debris is from the first source. 2600:1006:B04B:F619:CB95:23E5:7BC:2CA1 (talk) 22:00, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * from this source,http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/61522 6 or 7th paragraph. 2600:1006:B04B:F619:CB95:23E5:7BC:2CA1 (talk) 22:03, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * I am looking at it right now. And, believe me, it is not there. Nowhere does anyone say more than "could be" or "thinks".  I am not saying it never was there (I had a BBC source change on me today) ... Tell you what.  I will rewrite the opening paragraph as part of the review process.  Cheers, --SVTCobra 22:08, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * We (Malaysia) have an understanding with the authorities there (the Maldives)...we think the parts which were found about a month ago were parts of the aircraft,” Kaprawi said. 2600:1006:B04B:F619:CB95:23E5:7BC:2CA1 (talk) 22:15, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Right, Jason. But in you lead you say they stated that the part WERE from MH370.  I don't disagree with your quote in your second paragraph.  It's your FIRST paragraph that's the problem. --SVTCobra 22:18, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Don't worry. I'll clean it up without any major changes.  Then we can argue about it when you get back to your computer if you totally disagree with what I did.  Cheers, --SVTCobra 22:21, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
 * No problem. I will be back home in a few hours. 2600:1006:B05A:8F37:1D11:6201:F338:A231 (talk) 22:22, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

Jason, I published your article. I don't think I destroyed it, but there were some tweaks. It is now the top story on Wikinews. For future reference, an atoll is a group of islands. Several times, you referred to an atoll as a single island. And it sure as shit was confusing how they were going back and forth between atoll names and island names in the sources. I probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the fact that I check every single wp-link to make sure it avoids redirects, etc. I hope you are back to write on more stuff. I just returned myself, and Wikinews could use us. How's Florida treating you? Cheers, --SVTCobra 00:22, 13 August 2015 (UTC)
 * I saw the article after it was published. It looks good :) Well now I know what an atoll is! I suppose I am back. We'll see how things go. At least I am in a city where things happen so maybe I can try for some more OR things. Nice to see you're still around :) DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:46, 13 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Jason. Well, I would not say that I am "still around" ... I would come by ever 3-5 months (and maybe delete an abandoned article LOL).  I have only been back 4 or 5 days ... same as you, I think.
 * Also, as a New Yorker, I can't believe you dissed Buffalo like that. I know things happened in Buffalo because you used to write about them.  Do you still have the police-scanner?
 * Well, sincerely, I hope you are happy in Florida. If I had to guess, your move was as much about the people as it was the climate.  Cheers, --SVTCobra 02:55, 13 August 2015 (UTC)
 * I do not have a scanner anymore, but I can listen to it online. I moved out of Buffalo several years ago and moved to Maine where I live for almost the past 4 1/2 years. I came to FL in September 2014. I had a falling out with the roommates in Maine and I have a best friend here I've known for 15 years and he's been trying to get me down here since I moved to Maine. So here I am. Also I couldn't take another winter of feet of snow and sub zero temperatures. I do miss Buffalo in the sense I had a better reputation with officials there than I do here. I was able to get a lot of OR because they respected me. I have to get another press pass though as I've lost mine a long time ago. Yes I only been back a few days now, but hopefully I will stick around and I hope you do too :) DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:03, 13 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the run-down of the years. I guess we also went quiet on Wikinews around the same time as you.  I was never as much into OR as you.  I did a few photo-journalism pieces and some pseudo-stuff because not everything was on the internet and TV was still important.  I can't even remember.  Anyway, I wish I wasn't back.  It is actually a sign of a life gone wrong that I am back.  I pursued a girl, got engaged and ... well, now we are not engaged.  To top it off, I lost my job.  So I have all kinds of time to spare.  Sadly. --SVTCobra 03:13, 13 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Sorry to hear that :( I sadly haven't met a guy or anyone for that matter to come remotely close to being engaged to. I made a few great friends here, but they moved away, back to their hometowns. One went to Chicago. So I am pretty much alone here. I live alone, well I do have a roommate, a 3 month old kitten :P DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:20, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Thank you.
4 the develop tag. Hopefully this can grow! --Softstarrs23 (talk) 22:14, 14 August 2015 (UTC)

Need help on Wikinews Main Page
Hello. I started a request at Talk:Main Page on removing interlanguage links, i.e. moving links to Wikidata, and then de-collapsing navigational sections at the bottom of the Main Page. Can you please check? --George Ho (talk) 18:19, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

Privilege expiry policy applied
'''Note! Your privileges on English Wikinews have been reduced.'''
 * Under the Privilege expiry policy (enacted October 13, 2012) the rights held by your user account have been reduced due to inactivity, or lack of privilege use.

 * Point 4 of the Privilege expiry policy provides for fast-tracking reacquisition of privileges. We all understand that real-life commitments can severely curtail the level of commitment you can give to Wikinews; the privilege reduction is in no way intended as a reflection on your past work, or to imply you are unwelcome. The aim in curtailing privileges is to address security risks, and concern that a long period of inactivity means you may not be up-to-date with current policy and practices.

--Pi zero (talk) 12:32, 25 May 2019 (UTC)

Ask
Hello DragonFire1024, I'm Mikani from French Wikinews. I have small questions on the use of social networks made by the English version, especially Facebook. Do you know who keeps the page up to date : https://www.facebook.com/Wikinews/ Thank you --mik @ ni 09:12, 15 April 2020 (UTC)

Still alive??
Haven't seen you around in a while! You still kicking??--Bddpaux (talk) 15:37, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Well, I guess not.... at least not here.--Bddpaux (talk) 17:36, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

title: User talk:DragonFire1024


text:
User talk:Diamond Bar

Talk page has been protected due to abuse. Bawolff ☺☻ 05:54, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Diamond Bar


text:
User:Newser

'''Hello! Welcome to my Wikipedia user page!'''

Quote of the Day

 * The key is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even write a crime report about them. -Randy Milholland
 * Former Quotes of the Day

My Links

 * Storage

title: User:Newser


text:
User:Newser/oldquote

Former Quotes of the Day
 * "Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mundane educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom, go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts." - Frank Zappa

title: User:Newser/oldquote


text:
User:Newser/Storage

STORAGE BIN

title: User:Newser/Storage


text:
User talk:Newser

'''Wazzup? Please Leave a Message'''

diamond bar

 * Sorry I took so long to get to that, just saw the you have new message bar now. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Bawolff ☺☻ 05:56, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
 * NO PROBLEM Newser (talk) 05:59, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
 * oh btw, Welcome to wikinews. Here's the standard welcome template:

Happy editing. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:03, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Newser


text:
User talk:210.212.121.57

I have reverted your edits to North Korea says it's preparing to launch space program, denies preparations to test missile as they seemed unhelpful. Cheers. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:08, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

Welcome
Welcome!

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

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

Here are some other hints and tips:

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

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

If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! Bawolff ☺☻ 06:08, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:210.212.121.57


text:
User:Wabawaba

Cracks in the Crescent is the autobiography of Hussein Hajji Wario which was published in February 2009. Hussein was a former Muslim who faced severe persecution at the hands of his family, friends and Muslim communities in Kenya and the United States. His upbringing as a Muslim, conversion to Christianity, and the ensuing persecution, along with some objective in-depth discussions of some esoteric aspects of Islam, are featured in this book. If you would like more information, please visit Cracks in the Crescent or on Facebook at Fan PageWR

title: User:Wabawaba


text:
Chinese cargo ship sinks after being shot by Russian navy

February 21, 2009

A Chinese cargo ship was fired on and sunk by a Russian cruiser last Sunday near Russia's far-eastern port of Vladivostok. Eight out of 16 crew members on board were saved while the others remain missing.

According to Natalia Gelashvili, a spokeswoman for the Far East Transport Prosecutors office in Nakhodka, the cargo ship New Star fled on Feb. 12 after the shipment of rice it unloaded was rejected by the buyer, who then requested the court to seize the ship while suing for damages. But the Beijing based Global Times reported that the ship was sequestered for alleged smuggling.

Russian Federal Security Service spokeswoman Natalya Rondaleva confirmed that the ship was fired upon by Russian vessels. An unnamed source asserts that warning shots were fired before more direct shots were taken.

The ship began sinking while being escorted back to the port.

The sinking of the boat forced all 16 crew members to abandon the ship by taking two life boats. One boat carrying eight people was saved by Russian sailors while the other was engulfed in the waves. The missing crew include seven Chinese and one Indonesian. The Canadian Press reports that they are presumed to have drowned.

"The cause of the sinking isn't clear because the incident occurred during a storm," said Captain Veniamin Ivanichev of the Marine Rescue Center in Vladivostok.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs today said it asked Russia to investigate the "mishap" and identify the cause as soon as possible.

All the rescued crew members have gone back to Nakhodka while the Russian keep looking for the missing sailors. The Russian News Agency said the coast guard found only an empty boat in a three-day search.

China's foreign spokeswoman Jiang Yu declined to comment on the Russians' opening fire on the ship.

The ship was registered in Sierra Leone, and the owner is a shipping company based in Hong Kong.


text: Talk:Court rejects Polanski bid to have child sex charges dismissed


text:
AIM activist, Leonard Peltier defender Robert Robideau dies

February 20, 2009

Robert E. "Bob" Robideau, an Ashinaabe activist who was acquitted of killing two FBI agents and who was involved in the Leonard Peltier case, died on Tuesday February 16 after suffering seizures at his home in Barcelona, Spain, Robideau's family and Spanish authorities say. He was 61-years-old. Robideau had shrapnel in his head, UPI reports, from a 1975 incident in which ammunition in his car exploded.

Robideau had been living and working in Barcelona as director of the American Indian Movement museum, after two stints as National-International Director for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. Robideau, Leonard Peltier, and Darelle "Dino" Butler were charged together for the shooting deaths of FBI Special Agents Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams in South Dakota; the jury trying Robideau and Butler ruled that the killings had been in self-defense, but Peltier, who had fled the country, was tried separately and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Robert Robideau was born on November 11, 1946, a member of the Turtle Mountain and White Earth Ojibwa tribes and descendant of the chiefs Obe-quod and Ke-che-ha-kuk-kung-ay-we-ne-nee.

The Colorado American Indian Movement released a statement on Robideau's passing, saying, "Bob was a great role model for AIM members everywhere. He epitomized what it was to be a member of AIM, not through posturing, not through rhetoric, but in action. He put his life on the line, and he was relentless in his defense of Indian people everywhere. He will be very deeply missed, and will always remembered".

After joining the American Indian Movement in 1973, Robideau, along with Ward Churchill and Russell Means, split from Vernon Bellecourt's movement in 1993 and established the Autonomous American Indian Moment. Following his 1976 acquittal and Peltier's 1977 conviction for the FBI agent murders, Robideau became involved in work to free Peltier, but split from Peltier's defense team in 2004 over differences of opinion in the Anna Mae Aquash case. Robideau also appeared in the documentary Incident at Oglala, discussing the shootings.

Robideau had degrees in anthropology from Portland State University and arts from the Institute of Native American Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is survived by his wife Pilar and his two sons, Michael and Bobby.


text:
Comments:Former Indian President R. Venkataraman dies age 98

MR.VENKATARAMAN BECAME PARLIAMENT MEMBER IN 1952, AND CABINET MINISTER IN TAMIL NADU IN KAMARAJ MINISTRY.


text:
Wikinews:Dynamic quiz/quiz/2009/09

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

Last Updated: February 19, 2009

title: Wikinews:Dynamic quiz/quiz/2009/09


text:
Wikinews Shorts: February 19, 2009

Ireland's most-wanted traffic offender unmasked
For several years Ireland's Police hunted the country's most notorious traffic offender. Mr Prawo Jazdy ran up over fifty speeding and parking offences all over the country, but escaped fines by giving a different address each time. Eventually the penny dropped, and in June 2007 the Garda Traffic Division issued a confidential memo to officers, which has just been published in the Irish press. "Prawo Jazdy is actually the Polish for driving license and not the first and surname on the license. Having noticed this, I decided to check and see how many times officers have made this mistake. It is quite embarrassing to see that the system has created Prawo Jazdy as a person with over 50 identities."

200,000 Polish citizens moved to Ireland in the years following Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, and their driving licenses remain valid throughout the EU.

Sources

title: Wikinews Shorts: February 19, 2009


text:
UK firm gets ESA funding to ground test new jet engine for spaceplane

February 21, 2009

Reaction Engines Limited, a firm in Oxford, United Kingdom, has recently been awarded €1 million by the European Space Agency. This money is to be used for development work for the firm's SABRE engines.

The SABRE engines are for a reusable spaceplane that it is intended to be able to travel into space and return completely intact.

Reaction Engines Limited says the Skylon plane could be in service within 10 years. When in service it would be intended to be regularly carrying up to 60 passengers into orbit much more cheaply than today. The cash will be used to test a precooled jet engine that would cool the very hot air entering the engines and should permit the aircraft to fly more economically, like a jet plane. The plane will fly through the air to 26 km (85,000 feet) altitude and five times the speed of sound before using rockets to push the aircraft the rest of the way to orbit.

The BBC says that other aspects of the Skylon design will be investigated by EADS Astrium, the German space agency (DLR) and the University of Bristol.


text:
User:Wolfkeeper

Gone away- this wiki is a waste of time in my opinion.

title: User:Wolfkeeper


text:
European Court of Human Rights orders UK to compensate Islamist

February 20, 2009

The European Court of Human Rights has awarded €2500 to Abu Qatada, an Islamic militant and cleric, in a lawsuit he filed against the United Kingdom which detained him without trial in 2002.

Qatada, who is facing extradition to Jordan to serve a life sentence for terrorism charges, and 10 others were detained under Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. This act allowed foreign nationals suspected of terrorism to be detained, before being repealed in 2004 due to its discriminatory nature. The ECHR's ruling determined the decision to detain Qatada under this law breached the 'right to liberty and security' secured in the European Convention of Human Rights.

The British government claimed they believed the people detained were "a threat to our national security."

Some British politicians also objected to paying compensation to people believed to be terrorists.

Matthew Elliot, a lobbyist for the Taxpayers' Alliance, argued: "This man hates everything Britain stands for, so it is disgusting that ordinary taxpayers are now forced to pay him thousands of pounds."

Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary commented: "This decision will horrify most reasonable people in the UK … it makes a mockery of the concept of human rights if we can't protect ourselves against people who are out to destroy our society."


text:
Comments:Buffalo, New York plane crash may have resulted from pilot error

this pilot is a real sucker

dddd —Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.144.13.63 (talk) 08:28, 20 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Gongler.com, The First Free UK Online Dating Site Launches

Yes its true to its word, a good online dating site which is free and easy to use


text: Comments:20,000 Californian state workers may lose their jobs


text:
Jury acquits three in Politkovskaya murder trial

February 20, 2009

On Thursday three individuals accused of involvement in the October 2006 killing of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya were acquitted by a 12-person Russian jury. Not present for the trial nor among the defendants was Rustam Makhmudov, the accused trigger man, suspected to be hiding out abroad.

Makhmudov's two brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, were accused of acting as accomplices in the murder. Former police officer with the Moscow Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was the final defendant in the trial, charged with engaging the Makhmudov brothers for the contract-style killing and providing the pistol with silencer used.

Pavel Ryaguzov, a former FSB agent, was a suspect in a separate and unrelated case who was tried concomitantly to the other three due to a previous association with Khadzhikurbanov. Ryaguzov was also acquitted in his case.

In what has been described in many reports as an assassination, Politkovskaya was shot five times in the elevator of her apartment building in central Moscow while returning from a trip to the supermarket on 7 October 2006. She was 48 years old at the time of her death and a mother of two. The date of the event coincided with then-president 's birthday.

Politkovskaya was a harsh and prominent critic of the Kremlin, many aspects and institutions of contemporary Russian society such as the secret services and high-level corruption, and the Moscow-backed government of in Chechnya. Domestic and international sources have claimed government involvement in her death. With or without government complicity the murder may along with other recent killings indicate that journalists can be slain with impunity, a situation that seriously hampers the in Russia.

Family of the defendants cheered upon the jury forewoman's recitation of the verdict. As the judge declared them free to go the three burst from the metal courtroom cage to join their supporters.

Defense attorney Murad Musayev hailed the acquittal as a rare triumph of justice within the Russian court system. Prosecutor Vera Pashkovskaya announced an intent to appeal the ruling.


text:
Talk:Jury acquits three in Politkovskaya murder trial

More info
I kinda ran out of steam but there's actually quite a bit more info in those sources if anyone wants to expand this. (Though I wrote my version to be a complete, concise article, so it ought to be okay to go as-is.) --Struthious Bandersnatch (talk) 23:28, 19 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at lowest level in six years

February 20, 2009

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its lowest level in over six years on Thursday, having lost 1.16%, or 89.68 points, bringing it to a level of 7,465.95. It had, at one point, set an intraday bear market low of 7,447.55. It was the lowest ending for the index since October 9, 2002. The Dow has fallen almost fifteen percent since the start of this year.

Two other US indexes also fell today: the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P) fell by 9.48 points, or 1.20 percent, to 778.94 points. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.71% or 25.15 points, closing at 1,442.82.

The S&P had seen its fourth consecutive loss on Thursday, its longest losing streak since last October. It has lost almost fourteen percent since the start of 2009.

Dan Cook, the senior market analyst at IG Markets, said that the Dow's descent is worrisome since without that level of support, investors may worry that the markets can fall even further. "It's kind of like if we're walking across a frozen pond. If that ice starts to crack a bit we're going to be very wary," he said.

Other analysts, however, point out that despite the bad news, the stock market had not descended as quickly as it had been in October and November, and volume was low, suggesting a lack of conviction.

"There's not that panic that there was in November," said Paul Nolte, the director of investments at Hinsdale Associates.

Among some of the losers at the stock market today were Citigroup, which fell 13.8% to US$2.51 a share, and Bank of America, which dropped 14% to $3.93.

In other markets, the British FTSE index increased by 0.3%, and Germany's DAX was up by a fifth of a percent.


text: Talk:Violence erupts in Guadeloupe after labor dispute


title: File:19February2009.pdf


text: Talk:Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at lowest level in six years


text: Talk:UK firm gets ESA funding to ground test new jet engine for spaceplane


text:
Talk:Israel seizes West Bank land

you are aware that Al-Jazeera, even if it were a credible source, should NEVER be your only news source, right?
"Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he firmly supports settlement expansion and has said that peace talks with Palestinians are a waste of time."

and that is why. Netanyahu has said nothing of the sort. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 98.113.142.170 (talk • contribs)
 * Buddy, that statement came from The Associated Press, a major western newswire. It supplies Fox News with most of their content, and therefore Fox reported that Netanyahu statement just like we did. Do you really think that FOX NEWS, the ultra-right-wing neo-con news network of choice, is taking a pro-Muslim stance on this? Are you really trying to say that? Also, note that while we did use Al-Jazeera for 2 of our source articles, we have 3 others that are not Al-Jazeera. So they aren't our only source:P. Gopher65talk 00:25, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

 * here
 * A blog is not a source. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:26, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Waste of time
Extreme POV to include such an interpretation, Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the peace talks as a waste of time while explaining the failures of past negotiations. Picking out sound bites gives a false impression. Newsweek article for a more accurate and less blatantly POV/OR: Politics Takes a Right Turn in Jerusalem. I also find it rather odd to rely exclusively on AJ wording when they clearly have a strong slant against the West and especially Israel. I know it's an RS and we are obligated to cite it, but there are plenty of other more neutral and objective organizations that provided coverage on this incident. It is suspect that a user would choose AJ over everything else.

title: Talk:Israel seizes West Bank land


text: Category:Anna Politkovskaya

title: Category:Anna Politkovskaya


text:
Comments:Jury acquits three in Politkovskaya murder trial

Mother Russia such a great democracy were anyone can express their dis agreement with the government.--66.229.21.217 04:54, 20 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya shot dead

Category
editprotected

Please add Category:Anna Politkovskaya to this article, thanks. --Struthious Bandersnatch (talk) 05:00, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

✅ Gopher65talk 00:12, 22 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Former head of Radio Liberty Russian Broadcasts criticizes Kremlin's reaction to Russian journalist's murder

Category
editprotected

Please add Category:Anna Politkovskaya to this article, thanks. --Struthious Bandersnatch (talk) 05:01, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

✅ Gopher65talk 00:11, 22 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Magnitude 5.4 earthquake shakes Pakistan

February 20, 2009

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 5.4 earthquake has struck Pakistan, approximately 95 kilometers (60 miles) north east of the nation's capital, Islamabad. Pakistan's weather service put the magnitude at 5.5, but A Pakistan News reports the magnitude to be 5.8.

There are reports of several injuries in Bagh, Kashmir, but the extent of those injuries are not known. No deaths have yet been reported. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 devastated the same town and area in 2005, killing nearly 80,000 people.

Authorities in Neelum Valley say a school was damaged in a local town. As a result, authorities closed all schools and sent children home for the day.

The quake struck at 3:48 UTC, with the epicenter being in Baramulla in Northern Kashmir, which is currently occupied by Indian military forces. The quake was measured at just over 26 miles beneath the Earth. It was felt in places such as Peshawar and Lahore.


text: Talk:New South Wales, Queensland to have electorates redrawn: Australian Electoral Commission


text:
Talk:AIM activist, Leonard Peltier defender Robert Robideau dies

Could be improved by explaining precisely what "Wounded Knee veteran" means and how the subject was involved. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:35, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Actually, that should have been taken out of the first draft, fixed now. --Killing Vector (talk) 09:32, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

AIM
To most people, AIM is some god-awful instant messenger thing. --Brian McNeil / talk 22:33, 20 February 2009 (UTC)


text: User:RockerballAustralia/columns

title: User:RockerballAustralia/columns


text:
User:RockerballAustralia/columns-end

 * }

title: User:RockerballAustralia/columns-end


text:
User:RockerballAustralia/column2

 * width="50%" align="" valign="" |

title: User:RockerballAustralia/column2


text:
User:Florentino Floro/MyViralVideo

My 23 Philippines Television Viral Videos ABS-CBN, TFC (The Filipino Channel), ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, ABS-CBN News Channel, GMA Network, Inc., Q (television network), Radio Philippines Network and Associated Broadcasting Company, inter alia, produced/showed the following documentary on Judge Florentino Floro:

 * 29,437 views - Mundo ng Maligno ("World of Elementals"), Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas, 7:30 a.m., with Kim Atienza, October 31, 2006.

 * 26,878 views - The World Tonight - "Hilario Davide Disbarment": September 10, 2006, with R.G. Cruz as broadcast journalist.

 * 17,632 and 15,472 views - "Kasangga mo ang langit", with host Rey Langit - 11:30p.m. August 30//Wednesday, 2000; replayed --- May 16/Wednesday, 2001. (Part 1)/ (Part 3)

 * 15,037 & 11,135 views - Magandang Gabi, Bayan: “Hearing of Healing” - August 21, 1999 – Host - Gus Abelgas. (Part 2)/ (Part 4)

 * 9,050 views - ASSIGNMENT: “THE HEALING JUDGE,” April 27, 2000 – Host - Cong. Teddy Locsin, Jr. - TV Patrol World & Pulso: Aksyon Balita: host - Josie Sison: "Disbarment vs. Alfredo Benipayo, June 23, 2000 – by Josie Sison. (Part 5)

 * 4,239 views (Part I); 4,193 (Part II) Kontrobersyal of the Year, 2005 - 2006, with host Boy Abunda - Anniversary presentation - "DISKRIMINASYON: Psychic Judge” - 2 gaps or full segments, 30 minutes; May 12, 2006/Friday, late night, 12:30 a.m. Saturday; replayed at 4:00 a.m./5:00 a.m., May 13 and 14, 2006.

 * 4,759 & 5,185 views (Part I, Original & Clearer, respectively) - Totoo TV - hosted by Maverick Relova and Ariel Villasanta, one hour, April 30, 2007./; 2,024 & 2,947 views (Part II)/; 1,357 & 2,350 views (Part III) - /; 1,436 & 3,848 views (Part IV) - 1,022 & 2,225 views (Part V) - /; /

 * 3,642 views, Sa Pulso, GMA Kapuso: with Mr. Ivan Meirina as Host, November 12, 2006, Q (television network).

 * 2,505 & 3,664 views - Frontlines, ABC, Ch. 5: December 27, 2006 at 10:00 PM./

 * 1,894 views - Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas, Judge Floro, "Healing Oil," April 3, 2007, with Kim Atienza.l

 * "KABA KUTOB KILABOT": October 29, 2006, 11:45 p.m., with Hosts Katherine de Castro and Albert Martinez.

As spiritual healer, Florentino Floro used Philippines coconut oil (healing) as alternative medicine for the poorest of the poor.

“Healing / Psychic” Judge Floro had been consistently televised since 1999 regarding the case. More than 86 minutes of Philippine Television Documentary had shown the great human interest and international / global focus on the story / administrative case (ordeal / longest suspension due to dwarf consultation).

title: User:Florentino Floro/MyViralVideo


text:
Sheffield pub is CAMRA's Pub of the Year

February 20, 2009

A Yorkshire pub affected by flooding in 2007 has been named CAMRA's National Pub of the Year for 2008.

The Kelham Island Tavern in Sheffield's Kelham Island Quarter was in a "semi derelict" state when it was purchased in 2001. After it was re-opened in 2002 by licensee Trevor Wraith and manager Lewis Gonda, business quickly picked up and the pub has been awarded Sheffield CAMRA's local Pub of the Year award for the past four years. The pub won the award despite six weeks of closure a year and a half ago when the pub's cellar and floor were affected by the flooding of the River Don and the nearby Kelham goit. The pub also received Yorkshire CAMRA's Pub of the Year award in 2004 and 2007.

CAMRA's Pub of the Year award is judged in several stages, with local CAMRA branches evaluating the pubs in their area and passing on recommendations for regional championships. The list of regional champions is then whittled down to four finalists, with CAMRA judges visiting each of these anonymously before making a final decision.

The pub regularly serves ten and often up to thirteen Real Ales, and variety and quality of beers served are of particular interest to CAMRA, which was founded in 1971 in order to preserve and promote traditional British beer and pubs, which the group see as threatened.

However, other considerations beyond range and variety of beers are also important. Julian Hough, CAMRA's Pubs Director, made particular note of the Tavern's "attention to detail". Mr Wraith also pointed out the pub's "sub-tropical" beer garden, which he calls his "pride and joy"; the pub was awarded Silver Gilts in the Yorkshire In Bloom competition every year since 2003 and has received the Gold Award in the local Sheffield In Bloom competition every year since 2005. The pub also regularly hosts evenings of folk music.

Mr Gonda credited the pub's success to the "excellent brewers we deal with, our faithful and supportive pub regulars, and our invaluable staff members." It was this community support which helped the pub recover so quickly after the 2007 flooding, with Mr Wraith describing the day the waters entered the pub. "The funny thing was that it was difficult to get the customers to evacuate. They just wanted to keep on drinking, but we did have to get them out eventually and some of them did get wet." Flood defences were erected after the customers left, but to no avail; Mr Wraith stayed in the pub overnight, despite the flooding and the lack of electricity.

The pub will be presented with the award in a ceremony later today at 1pm GMT.


text: Talk:Wikinews Shorts: February 19, 2009

title: Talk:Wikinews Shorts: February 19, 2009


text:
Comments:Israel seizes West Bank land

As long as Israel continues to flout international law there will be no progress towards peace. The only practical solution to the conflict is mutual recognition of rights and responsiblities; the power lies with Israel and it must start to behave responsibly - recognition of the 1967 border is a MINIMUM requirement for any just settlement.

The arrogance of Israeli settlers can only be matched by the hypocrisy of their government and the cruelty of its army. The next thing we'll hear is the same settlers asking for military intervention to protect their loot from "Palestinian terrorists". This latest act is the ultimate (if you needed one more) proof that Israel is not interested in peace. The West should stop supporting this rogue state - most importantly, stop selling them weapons and leave them to their own means. Probably they will be kinder to their neighbours once they lack the borrowed firepower. -Alemaco (talk) 12:34, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Israel would soon stop this crap if a few sanctions were imposed - like, as you say, an arms embargo. Add to that refusal to grant Israelis visas to travel to western countries. I don't give a shit if it causes them to scream that we're all anti-Semitic, American and European taxpayers have been propping them up for decades and paying to rebuild Palestinian infrastructure after their repeatedly bombing it to bits. Fuck 'em, they need to learn that more than just the Arab world is sick of their bullshit and they long, long ago lost any sympathy they might have inherited as a result of Nazi atrocities. --Brian McNeil / talk 13:52, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Hey Brian your starting too sound like the arab nations that support groups that shoot up schools in Israel and suicide bomb civilians. The same Arab counties that exiled the jews and whipped Christians and hang homosexual. Glad you Failed too see why their doing this but it has noting to do with Hamas stopping to fire rockets or release hostages. But more then willing to bash the only True democracy in that crap stain part of the world. Plus I rather have my money to too Israel then Gaza city. Sorry but I am not a fan of Farfour.--KDP3 (talk) 23:27, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I do wish Israel would stop being complete assholes to everyone around them.

The UN is impotent
While there continues to be denunciation by the UN of Israel's actions, but no consequences, the situation will continue.

title: Comments:Israel seizes West Bank land


text:
User:Van der Hoorn

 * Articles
 * Babel templates
 * Business card template
 * Sandbox
 * Userboxes

title: User:Van der Hoorn


text:
User talk:Van der Hoorn

An interview with the chairman of America's fastest growing centrist political party: Mike Lebowitz discusses the Modern Whigs' past, present and future
Van der Hoorn, would you mind doing a peer review for the article above? Thanks. --WNewsReporter (talk) 08:10, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

Flood flag
Hey, could you use the flood flag to avoid flooding recent changes? Cheers. – Juliancolton  | Talk 00:07, 24 August 2009 (UTC)
 * I did (and removed it again), although I disagree with the flood flag an sich. Cheers, Van der Hoorn (talk • contribs) 01:15, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Categorizing
I removed those cats on purpose. They shouldn't be there. Gopher65talk 23:44, 24 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I didn't know. Which ones? For the language templates? (Because there are currently about 300 templates without a category.) And why shouldn't the templates have categories? Cheers, Van der Hoorn (talk • contribs) 23:50, 24 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Basically because people go to the category page and look directly at the templates without reading a help section. They do this even if the help section is on the very cat page that they go to. Yes, they should read the help section. But they don't. That's just the way people are (they're dumb:P). I can't fix this problem by changing the behaviour of people, but I can change the way the cats appear.

 * On the polling templates page this type of behaviour doesn't really matter because Neutral gives you a decent idea of what the template is just in the name itself. But what does Zh mean? What does Zh-tw mean? No one who isn't familiar with both the ISO-639-2 and the ISO-639-3 codes would have any idea what that means. This places the whole language templates system outside of the reach of a normal random editor (again, if they'd be smart enough to read the FREAKING HELP PAGES;), this wouldn't be a problem). They don't use the language template system correctly because they don't know that Zh means Mandrin Chinese in 639-2 speak. The creation and catting of the redirects (as opposed to the catting of the template itself) solves this problem.

 * I'm not opposed to giving the language templates themselves *some* kind of cat, just not the cat Category:Language templates. Do you have any cat that you suggest? Gopher65talk 00:13, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
 * I thought about doing it that way, but that would mean that either: 1)the server would have to redirect loads and loads and loads of language templates, since they are a high use template, or 2)we'd have to go back and change *every single use* of those language templates to the new ones.

 * What should have been done was that they should have been created as Dutch in the first place instead of using language codes. But that wasn't done, and, practically speaking, it is too late to change it now. Gopher65talk 00:22, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Was I editing your page?
I apologise if it appeared that I was trying to edit your user page. I was just trying to get some ideas from there. --Rayboy8 (talk) 22:04, 15 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I didn't notice it; only when you would have saved the page, I would notice an edit. :) Hope you got some good ideas out of it. Cheers, Van der Hoorn (talk • contribs) 11:09, 16 September 2009 (UTC)

privs
'''Note! Your privileges on English Wikinews have been reduced.'''
 * Under the Privilege expiry policy (enacted October 13, 2012) the rights held by your user account have been reduced due to inactivity, or lack of privilege use.

 * Point 4 of the Privilege expiry policy provides for fast-tracking reacquisition of privileges. We all understand that real-life commitments can severely curtail the level of commitment you can give to Wikinews; the privilege reduction is in no way intended as a reflection on your past work, or to imply you are unwelcome. The aim in curtailing privileges is to address security risks, and concern that a long period of inactivity means you may not be up-to-date with current policy and practices.

--Pi zero (talk) 23:22, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

Wikinews Writing contest 2013 is here. :) Please sign up to participate?
We've created the Writing contest 2013, which will start on April 1 and end on June 1. It is modeled on the successful 2010 contest. It would be a really great time for you, as an inactive Wikinews accredited reporter, to renew your credentials by doing some original reporting or conducting interviews. People should be around to interview to prevent a backlog, and several reviewers have access to scoop to make it easier to review any original reporting you do. If you are interested in signing up, please do so on Writing contest 2013/entrants. There is at least one prize on offer for the winner along with the opportunity to earn some barn stars as a way of thanking you for your participation. :D --LauraHale (talk) 10:25, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

title: User talk:Van der Hoorn


text: Category:Crimea

title: Category:Crimea


text:
Category talk:February 18, 2009

The print eddition of this is dated incorrectly it says febuary 20 not 19 76.235.234.213 13:06, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

title: Category talk:February 18, 2009


text:
User talk:А.Крымов

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 13:27, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

Crimea userpage
restored and moved to your userspace. I have added category Crimea to the articles which were protected. --Brian McNeil / talk 13:30, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks a lot! -- А.Крымов (talk) 13:42, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * If there was more, or regular, news on the Crimea we'd have Portal:Crimea but the number of stories don't really justify it. Of course, if you want to have a go at setting it up you are welcome to. Look at some of the other portals, like Portal:Belgium to see how to set it up. You could then edit the main namespace redirect Crimea to point to the portal instead of the category. --Brian McNeil / talk 13:57, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't realy know if news about Crimea are interesting for english-spekers... For the time being the category will be enough, IMHO. -- А.Крымов (talk) 14:11, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:А.Крымов


text:
User:А.Крымов/Crimea

 * Category:Crimea
 * Crimea
 * ru:w:Крым

Old news

 * Oil spill near Black Sea as storm sinks three ships - it is not possible to add in Category:Crimea
 * Ukraine implements tougher rules on Russian navy
 * First encyclopedic dictionary of the Black Sea released - it is not possible to add in Category:Crimea + no need to do it
 * ELF Cup kicks off in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - it is not possible to add in Category:Crimea + no need to do it
 * Apartment gas blast in Yevpatoria, Ukraine
 * 4.5-kilometre bridge to link Crimea with Russia - it is not possible to add in Category:Crimea

Interwiki
ru:Крым (not created yet) - see articles in ru:Category:Крым

title: User:А.Крымов/Crimea


text:
User:А.Крымов

 * User:А.Крымов/Crimea
 * ru:User:А.Крымов
 * ru:w:User:А.Крымов

ru:User:А.Крымов fr:User:А.Крымов de:User:А.Крымов es:User:А.Крымов it:User:А.Крымов

title: User:А.Крымов


text:
Talk:Chinese cargo ship sinks after being shot by Russian navy

Pls re-check the source in China Cargo ship story
Both two quotes being questioned in the review page can be supported by the Bloomberg piece, whose link you can find in the Source below, thx. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tangadion (talk • contribs) 15:51, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
 * It must have been updated since you added the source because I still cannot find the quote in Bloomberg. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 15:57, 20 February 2009 (UTC)


text: Talk:Sheffield pub is CAMRA's Pub of the Year


text:
Talk:European Court of Human Rights orders UK to compensate Islamist

QuoteRight
The usual convention with the use of the quote templates is to repeat a quote that is contained within the article. Where this is not done you risk losing information where the article is made available in another format, such as audio, or the print edition. --Brian McNeil / talk 00:03, 21 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Magnitude 5.4 earthquake shakes Pakistan

Edit
Category:Azad Kashmir, area of incident. Ali Rana (talk) 11:34, 13 August 2009 (UTC)
 * ✅ – Juliancolton  | Talk 00:13, 30 August 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:98.217.14.211

Please do not make changes to old artices unless they are grammar changes. Please see the below message on how to edit Wikinews. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 16:49, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Old meaning two days old? Nothing but "grammar changes"? what a silly approach to things. I wasn't adding new information, just clarifying existing information and removing information which was demonstrably incorrect. One would think such a thing was welcome. Don't think I'll bother in the future.... --98.217.14.211 19:52, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

Welcome
Welcome!

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

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

Here are some other hints and tips:

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

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

If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome!

title: User talk:98.217.14.211


text:
Israeli President chooses Likud leader to form the 18th Knesset government

February 20, 2009

Today, Shimon Peres has selected  leader  to form the government of the 18th. 65 Members of Knesset informed the President of their preference of Netanyahu to head the government.

President Peres was persuaded by two factors to choose Likud over. The (Israel Our Home) supports Likud in its attempt to form a government. Kadima Leader would not join in a unity government with Likud that the Israel President was attempting to broker between the three largest parties.

Kadima had won a plurality of the seats (28) in, the Israel parliament, in the beating out the right-wing Likud Party by one seat. Livini met with Beiteinu party leader in an attempt to form the core of an new coalition government. Kadima was expecting to be able to form a government with (13 seats),  (3 seats) and  (15 seats). This coalition would have 59 seats, but now without Beiteinu only 44 seats making either combination 2 seats or 17 seats short of a majority.

Beiteinu won 15 seats in the election — the third most seats — making it key to the make up of the government. It ran on a plank of loyalty oaths to Israel from Israel's Arab citizens or have their citizens lost. The initial government coalition of Likud and Beiteinu combined has 44 seats just 19 seats short of a majority.

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

Netanyahu will reach out to Kadima first after the announcement of his selection as possible Prime Minister. He will extend several key cabinet position to Kadima. Also, he will be contacting the Labor Party as a possible coalition partner. During the election campaign, Netanyahu stated that not forming a national-unity government when we was previously Prime Minister was a mistake.

According to Netanyahu's associates, they expect that it is likely that neither Kadima nor Labor will join a Lukid led coalition government. A right-wing government of 65 seats with (11 seats) as the third party is expected.

Peres consulted with 10 of 12 parties with seats in Knesset. Parties with the total of 65 seats recommend Netanyahu to lead the next government. Besides Likud and Beiteinu, Habayit Hayehudi, Shas, National Union and United Torah Judaism indicated a preference for Netanyahu. Other parties (Meretz, Balad, Labor, Hadash and the United Arab List-Ta'al) made no suggestion.

Labor chairman and Defense Minister indicated Thursday that the Labor is preparing to operating as part of the opposition to the government. He also indicated that Tzipi Livni was not recommended to the President due to the deal that she offered to Our Home.

The choice of Netanyahu has not encouraged officials. Netanyahu has been on the record as saying that he supports settlement expansion and believes that negotiations with Palestine are a waste of time. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has said that there will be no negotiation as long as settlement expansion continues. Furthermore the coalition between Likud and Avigdor Lieberman's party would be a huge blow to the Palestinian's mainly because of Lieberman's refusal to negotiate the question of whether or not to divide the city of Jerusalem, a city which Palestinians have hoped to make their capital for a Palestinian state.


text:
User talk:God'sGirl94

This is --God'sGirl94 (talk) 20:36, 20 February 2009 (UTC). I hope that I will learn a lot, but not things I don't want to learn. Feel free to speak to me at your leisure, just be nice! :-))--God'sGirl94 (talk) 20:36, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:God'sGirl94


text:
User:God'sGirl94

GOD'SGIRL94 HAS ENTERED THE PREMISES!!!!! WATCH OUT!!!!--God'sGirl94 (talk) 20:37, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User:God'sGirl94


text:
Turbulence on Northwest Airlines flight injures 47

February 21, 2009 47 people were injured on Friday after a Boeing 747-400, operated by Northwest Airlines, encountered severe turbulence on the Manila-Tokyo leg of a flight bound for Los Angeles. The aircraft was carrying 408 passengers and 14 crew members.

The aeroplane was circling off the coast of Chiba, east of Japan's capital of Tokyo, waiting to land, when turbulence forced it to make a rapid descent.

Many of the passengers who were not wearing their seat belts were thrown out of their seats. Most sustained injuries to their heads and necks by colliding with overhead lockers. None of the injuries were life-threatening, although six of the injured are expected to be hospitalised for up to three weeks.

The aircraft landed safely at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, whereupon ambulances took the injured to nearby hospitals.

"I was so scared, I thought I would die," said an unnamed passenger, describing the incident. "My whole body was lifted into the air."

"The person in front of me flew up to the ceiling. The person behind me collapsed and looked unconscious," another said.

"Air turbulence is believed to be the cause. The turbulence occurred 25 to 30 minutes before landing, when the seat belt light was on," said a spokesman for Northwest Airlines, Masashi Takahashi. "During the flight, we received a message from the pilot saying two or three people were injured. But [the pilot] probably assessed that an emergency landing was not necessary," he said to Agence France-Presse.

Northwest Airlines has stated that the seat belt sign was turned on during the incident.


text:
Talk:Israeli President chooses Likud leader to form the 18th Knesset government

Too much info on the technicalities of Knesset Politics
This article should be about two sections, the positions of Kadima, Likud and the far-right wing parties, and the second section on how this will impact the peace process...right now there is just a lot of info about how the Knesset works
 * It is about who was designed to form a government and how the parties might align. The positions of the parties (most likely) can be found on their Wikipedia articles. --Spshu (talk) 20:20, 23 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at lowest level in six years

Watch the DOW go down the tubes. --Brian McNeil / talk 23:58, 20 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:AIM activist, Leonard Peltier defender Robert Robideau dies

Goodbye Brother
Farewell Brother you will truly be missed. Thank you for all you did while in this world and for what I know you will do in the next. Look down on your brothers and sisters and watch over us in that special way that only you knew how to do. You will never be forgotton as you made a mark on history that no one can ever remove. Thank you for your life Robert Robideau. Thank you for illuminating the path on which the rest of us find ourselves deployed. We will see you again. Matt Thuderhawk (Former President) (A.I.M. Confederation of Autonomus Chapters Southern Ca.)


text: Talk:Turbulence on Northwest Airlines flight injures 47


text:
LTTE strikes Sri Lanka capital

February 21, 2009 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) bombed the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo using two light aircraft on Friday. At least two are dead and another 50 injured. Civil defense in the city shut off electricity and lit up the sky with antiaircraft fire, according to Financial Times.

International observers are surprised at the attack, given the recent advances that the Sri Lanka army has made, driving the LTTE from their former territories.

"It is very significant that the rebels have carried out such an audacious attack when the government say that they are all but finished," opined BBC's Sinhala Editor, Priyath Liyanage. "It confirms what many of us already knew — the rebels may be experiencing reverses on the battle field but they are not simply just going to disappear."

The conflict between the LTTE and the Sri Lanka government has been ongoing for over 25 years. The stated objective of the LTTE is to create a separate state known as Tamil Eelam for the Sri Lankan Tamil people.

title: LTTE strikes Sri Lanka capital


text:
Church of Scientology blames Pearl Harbor, 9/11 on psychiatry

February 21, 2009

In an interview on a television show called the No Drug Show, hosted by Larry Byrnes, the Church of Scientology blamed both the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and on psychiatrists and the drugs they prescribe their patients. Scientology considers psychiatry to be barbaric and a violation of human rights.

The video was posted on the video sharing website YouTube, but was later removed "due to a copyright claim by Axiom 10 Productions, Inc." of XenuTV questioned why Axiom 10 would utilize the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to remove the video from YouTube, as it was promoting their ideology about psychiatrists. It was later re-added to another site called .

David Figueroa, a spokesperson for the (CCHR), a human rights group founded by the Church in 1969, said, "terrorism employs violence. Against not just the general public, like in 9/11, but against individuals when they are captured." Figueroa is president of the CCHR organization in Florida.

"To take [a] person, and turn them into a killing machine, against their will or have them do things that are against their nature, you need something behind that. Psychiatrists employ drugs and conditioning techniques in order to change people from what they would normally be, into killing machines," added Figueroa. He also says that the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden got the idea to form the terrorist group from his second in command, in 1988. Then 13 years later, 19 terrorists hijacked four U.S. commercial airliners, crashing two into the towers, one into the  and one into a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.

"He was [bin Laden] just transformed from someone who was a supporter" of the "" against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, into someone whose "whole thought patterns and his entire viewpoint was changed by Zawahiri, and by whatever types of drugs Zawahiri used to make that change in bin Laden, we don't know", said Figueroa, who adds that Zawahiri was acting as a "psychiatrist". In another show hosed by Byrnes, former CCHR-International president Dennis H. Clarke claims Zawahiri to be a "psychiatrist, a therapist"; Zawahiri is referred to in this program as the "guy who runs" bin Laden. However, Zawahiri is actually a surgeon; he is not a psychiatrist or a psychologist.

Figueroa goes on to say that Japanese pilots responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in December of 1941 were "on amphetamines which is a psychiatric drug" when they attacked. However, the Japanese did not employ kamikaze tactics until later in the war. Wikinews has contacted the CCHR for a statement regarding Figueroa's remarks, but have yet to receive a reply. Scientology-associated publications have also attributed tragedies including the and the Holocaust to psychiatry.

At the conclusion of the television program, the host promotes a brochure which he says illustrates how "notorious terrorist acts like 9/11 were basically created by psychiatrists operating behind the scenes".

The issue of Scientology's stance on psychiatry was brought to the forefront in the media during a 2005 appearance by Tom Cruise on NBC's program  with. At the time Cruise told Lauer he was critical of psychiatry and the use of antidepressants. In a December 2008 appearance on the Today show on a promotional tour for his film , Cruise told Lauer he wanted to apologize and felt he appeared arrogant in his 2005 interview.

This is not the first time the Church made false accusations for acts of violence. In October 2008, the Church falsely accused the internet protest group Anonymous of a 2007 school shooting in Finland. They accused Anonymous of being involved in the November 2007 shooting at Jokela High School, in which a man named Pekka-Eric Auvinen shot and killed nine people, including himself. The Church accused Auvinen of being part of Anonymous, and further accused the group of plotting the attack. The (NBI) in Finland later told Wikinews that Anonymous had nothing to do with the crime.


text: Talk:LTTE strikes Sri Lanka capital

title: Talk:LTTE strikes Sri Lanka capital


title: File:21February2009.pdf


text:
User:BOT-Superzerocool/Description

[ emergency stop ]

Hi, I'm BOT-Superzerocool from es.wikinews (and es.wikipedia). My principal task is make interwikies between all projects listed below, where I'm authorized to do it and I have a Global Bot Flag. I'm using pywikipedia bot framekwork (with Python). My master is Superzerocool, from es.wikinews (and es.wikipedia). In both projects he's sysop.

If you have a msg to my master, please do it in his discussion.

title: User:BOT-Superzerocool/Description


text: User:BOT-Superzerocool/Bot Place

title: User:BOT-Superzerocool/Bot Place


text:
Launch of space shuttle Discovery delayed indefinitely

February 22, 2009

NASA announced during a press conference on Friday night that the agency has decided to delay the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, which was scheduled for takeoff on February 27. NASA cited the need for additional time to evaluate the shuttle's hydrogen fuel flow control valves. A new launch date has yet to be scheduled, though NASA is considering mid-March as an option. Another review of Discovery's flight readiness is scheduled for February 25.

Discovery had originally been scheduled for liftoff on February 12, but NASA wanted to perform additional tests on the valves which control the amount of hydrogen fuel pumped into the external tank when the shuttle is taking off. When Space Shuttle Endeavour went into space in November 2008, one of the valves broke. NASA fears that if one breaks off on this mission, then it could damage the outside of the shuttle.

"We need to complete more work to have a better understanding before flying," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. who chaired Friday's Flight Readiness Review. "We were not driven by schedule pressure and did the right thing. When we fly, we want to do so with full confidence."

The current scheduled mission, STS-119, is set to fly the Integrated Truss Structure segment ("S" for starboard, the right side of the station, and "6" for its place at the very end of the starboard truss) and install the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the International Space Station. The arrays consist of two 115-foot-long arrays, for a total wing span of 240 feet, including the equipment that connects the two halves and allows them to twist as they track the sun. Altogether, the four sets of arrays can generate 84 to 120 kilowatts of electricity – enough to provide power for more than 40 average homes.

Commander Lee Archambault will lead Discovery's crew of seven, along with Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata.


text:
User talk:Ciphers

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 05:12, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Ciphers


text:
User talk:Bacteriophage~enwikinews

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 05:16, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

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

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Bacteriophage. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Bacteriophage~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 23:14, 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) 06:29, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Bacteriophage~enwikinews


text:
User:Merriam~enwikinews/Wikileaks:Writer's Kit

"...newspaper headlines still display: "No right to interfere in our internal affairs!" Whereas there are no INTERNAL AFFAIRS left on our crowded Earth! And mankind's sole salvation lies in everyone making everything his business; in the people of the East being vitally concerned with what is thought in the West, the people of the West vitally concerned with what goes on in the East."

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Wikileaks aims for maximum political impact. It does not aim to be an exhaustive encyclopedia: it aims to disseminate, publish and analyze documents which the world needs to see. There are no obscure articles on Wikileaks. Every analysis is about a document that matters, that affects real people in the real world. Some analyses may have greater impact than others, but everything has an impact. Wikileaks has a special place. It is the first online repository for whistleblowing; the first wiki to have political power; the first intelligence agency of the people. We want to attract good editors, courageous whistleblowers and important information. We want to see a world of integrity, transparency and democracy; and we want to bring it about with integrity, transparency and democracy.

Who is a Wikileaks writer? A Wikileaks writer is something like a journalist. Something like an intelligence analyst. Something like an academic. Something like a fact-checker. Something like a research assistant. Something like a human rights lawyer. Something like a political activist working towards a better world. But we push no agenda except that of truth and exposing corrupt power; and we do so on the basis of revealed fact. Call yourself what you like. Call yourself a journalist, citizen journalist, citizen intelligence analyst, citizen academic, scholar, activist, seeker after truth. Call yourself a revolutionary, call yourself a democrat, call yourself a pilgrim, call yourself a patriot, however you're inclined.

Payment rates for writers. For professionally written articles Wikileaks pays rates set to equal the The Nation magazine--US$50-$500 per article, depending on length and quality. For substantial investigations up to $1,500. On a limited number of subjects we may be able to help you secure third party funding up to $5,000. It is our aim not only to cut the input and publishing costs for investigative journalism, but to sponsor it directly.

Submitting articles. Submit your article or proposal to together with a one paragraph biography. You may also create an article in the 'wiki' immediately by entering 'Draft:some article name in search box, click Go' and then Create article. Notify the editor when the article is complete.

The special nature of leaked documents
A leaked document is not like other documents. It has several features distinguishing it from other documents. The unique features of leaked documents have far-reaching consequences for those who seek to analyze them.

A leaked document was secret. One should always ask why. It may be kept secret because it contains details of unjust policies, oppression or corruption. It may be kept secret because its publication would cause widespread public outrage. It may be kept secret because it undermines the party line or corporate spin; it may be kept secret because it exposes lies. It may be kept secret because it details abuses of power; it may be kept secret because it is, itself, the institutional machinery of oppression. A leaked document may be kept secret, more generally, because governments and corporations are by their nature secretive: they may be paranoid; they may be institutionally averse to transparency; they may prefer not to reveal plans to a world which may oppose them.

Secrecy is not always legitimate. Government of the people, by the people, for the people should be accessible to the people. Corporations often exist on a similar scale; legally they usually remain unaccountable private centrally planned empires, but the same principle applies. Every citizen has a right to know about activities, decisions and policies that affect them. Freedom of information is not a law. It is non-negotiable. It is a fundamental principle of democracy and good governance. We believe documents pertaining to large public institutions, such as governments and corporations, should presumptively be available to the public. The burden is on a government or corporation to argue that a document should be kept secret. Someone who leaks a document at great personal risk probably has a good reason.

A leaked document was internal to an organization. It speaks the organization's language. It may be full of details. It may be bureaucratic. It may be full of jargon. Leaked individually, out of its context within an organization, it may at first sight seem incomprehensible. On the other hand, it may be as clear as day. But even in this case, a document comes in a context. It may come in a political context, a geographical context, an historical context. It was an internal document, but it needs to be viewed in the light of the external world. The context may not always be clear; but the context is important.

A leaked document was leaked for a reason. One should always ask why. A document may come from a more or less oppressive regime, expose greater or lesser wrongdoing, include more or less specific details of policy. It may be leaked at greater or lesser risk to the whistleblower. The whistleblower makes a calculation, weighing the benefits of leaking the document against the risks of backlash, ostracism, prosecution, persecution or worse. They calculate that the public benefits outweigh the personal risks — and they have the courage to assume those personal risks. There are, however, less admirable reasons for leaking documents. Leaking fake or forged documents to smear reputations, spread false information, sling mud, spread rumors, or to create confusion, is well known. Many intelligence agencies have commonly done so. Leaking may also be the result of internal squabbles; leaking may be vindictive. Consider these possibilities without becoming unduly distracted by them. Whatever a document's provenance, it has something to say.

Analyzing a leaked document
Understand the document. A leaked document may be easy to understand, or difficult. If it is technical, or uses jargon, analysis may require specialist knowledge. If it is long or complicated, this may take time. If it is decontextualized, you must place it in context. If the context is not clear, you may have to make best guesses. If there are history or politics involved, you should familiarize yourself with them. If you want to analyze a document, you must take the time required to understand the document and the surrounding circumstances. If you've made the effort, but you still don't understand something, or something still troubles you, say so: others may be able to assist. You don't need to be an expert, but you need to understand.

Summarize the document. An analysis must encapsulate the gist. All the more so if it is hard to understand the gist. Particularly if the document is long, obscure, or technical. How would you convey the meaning of the document to an average interested intelligent person? Wikileaks is about citizens explaining the truth — to other citizens.

Explain the document. What is the context? What are the surrounding factors? Does the reader need to be informed of the surrounding factors? What does the document mean? What are the relevant details? What is important about the document? What does it reveal that was not previously known? Does the reader need to be reminded of what was previously known? Analyses should be written not for an academic audience, or for the tabloid press, but at a level any interested, intelligent citizen can understand.

Question its veracity. How likely is the document to be genuine? Does it sound like a lie? How could you prove it is genuine? Can you corroborate it? How could you prove it is false? Does it contradict other facts or statements? Do the purported creators deny authorship? The question is not only whether the document is genuine or fake, but also whether it is verifiable or falsifiable. Treat the matter forensically, as best you can.

Examine motives. Can you understand why the document was leaked? Can you understand the whistleblower's motivations? Is there any potential motive which is less noble? Is anyone being smeared? Whose agenda does the document serve? Who has an interest in the issue? Do they have the means to fake documents like this?

More than one point of view? Do reasonable minds differ about the document's interpretation? Is it worth stating several possibilities, or sticking with the most likely story about the document's origin? Are there conflicting narratives of the document's context? Will including every point of view make the analysis long or unreadable? Should conclusions be forthright, or should they be hedged? The best conclusion is one arrived at by consensus, a neutral point of view. If no consensus can be found, should the editors come to a compromise, or give multiple interpretations?

Cite references. Wherever possible, information given in an analysis should be cited from an authoritative source. This includes contextual information, technical information, history, organizational or bureaucratic information, or anything else. References build up a base of supporting material, linking the leaked document to other existing documents. Other editors or analysts or interested readers can turn to that information. If the material is not well known, or is surprising, or contradicts the conventional wisdom, readers rightly demand sources of information to support the new point of view. Providing references is good scholarship, good science, good analysis, good reporting, and good practice.

Conclusions must be supported by the facts. They should be backed up by reasoning and, wherever possible, other evidence. How certain are the conclusions? It may be tempting to conclude on a sensational, damning note — and it may often be appropriate to do so — but discretion is the better part of valor. An analysis that is not well argued and which turns out to be wrong may be embarrassing, and set back the goals Wikileaks aims to achieve. An analysis that is cogent, carefully argued, supported by evidence — and which states the awful truth — will be unassailable, inarguable, an invincible weapon, slashing through mists of lies, defeating injustice and oppression around the world.

Have fun! After all, everybody wants to be an intelligence analyst. What more could you want but interesting, empowering, creative work to make the world a better place, all from the comfort of your own home?

Additional information

 * Featured Analyses - good examples from which to work
 * Style Guide
 * Help:Editing
 * Wikileaks:Quotes - useful quotes
 * Media Strategy
 * Media Kit


text:
Comments:Turbulence on Northwest Airlines flight injures 47

A lot of forty sevens....--66.229.21.217 07:13, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS
It happens again..and again. Passengers do not heed the "Fasten your Seat belt" sign. Some people, do not do it out of ignorance. Some people do not fasten their seat belts because (I think) they do not care about the flight rules. Some people do not even listen to the safety announcements. I have seen and heard some passengers talk louder than the crew making the announcement. I notice this mostly with business people. I fly a lot, and I memorize the safety announcements by heart. But - I still listen.

I experienced severe turbulence a couple of times while waiting to land at Tokyo's Narita Airport. On one of things incidents, everything was smooth, then the plane dropped hundreds of feet. Luckily, no injuries. But in a lot of these descents, I have seen people walking, wondering around, after the crew made the "Fasten your Seat Belt" announcement and the sign is on. The cabin crew are very good in reminding the people but sometimes they could not keep up. Simple reminder: Heed the sign. Fasten your seat belts. 17:14, 21 February 2009 (UTC)75.72.189.7

Edita@AirlineTravelersGuide.com


text:
California's violent video game ban law ruled unconstitutional by US Court of Appeals

February 22, 2009 A U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday has declared, the California "ultraviolent video games law" that sought to ban the sale or rental of violent  to minors.

has ruled that the 2005 statewide ban, which has yet to be enforced, violates minors' rights under the US Constitution's First and 14th amendment because even the most graphic on-screen mayhem, video game content represents free speech that cannot be censored without proper justification.

The Court has ruled that there’s no convincing evidence it causes psychological damage to young people. The 3-0 judgment has affirmed an earlier ruling by a U.S. District Court, which barred enforcement of the law on the basis that it was "unduly restrictive" and "used overly broad definitions," and that the state failed to show that the limitations on violent video games would actually protect children.

In 2005, (余胤良), a  (in District 8 which includes the western half of San Francisco and most of ),  of the Assembly (D-San Francisco/),  introduced  which barred "ultra-violent" video games from s under the age of  in  and mandated the application of  ratings for video games.

"California Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793" were commonly called the " video games bills" or simply "video game ban" bills. Bill 1792 banned the sales of such video games while Bill 1793 required signs explaining the regulations on said games to be placed where such were sold. Both bills were passed by the Assembly and signed by Governor into law (AB 1179) on October 7, 2005.

Explicitly, these two bills provided that:

 * AB 1792 will place ultra-violent video games into the "" portion of the, which criminalizes the sale of said material to a minor.

 * AB 1793 will require retailers to place M-rated games separate from other games intended for children, and will also require retailers to display signage explaining the ESRB rating system.

Yee, a former child psychologist has such games as ' and ', and opposes the U.S. Army's Global Gaming League.

On October 17, 2005, before the effectivity of the challenged Act, plaintiffs, the international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the $32 billion  and , a 1994 US  of the  have filed lawsuit (D.C. No. CV-05-04188-RMW) against the defendants Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, , Edmund G. Brown, Santa Clara County District Attorney George Kennedy, City Attorney for the City of San Jose, Richard Doyle, and County Counsel for the County of Santa Clara, Ann Miller Ravel. [[File:Paul_Cappuccio_and_Judge_Alex_Kozinski_(2319191300).jpg|left|thumb|275px|Paul Cappuccio EVP and General Counsel of and Judge  of the

Plaintiffs' counsel, 's has filed a  to invalidate the newly-enacted  sections 1746-1746.5 (the “Act”), on the grounds that it allegedly violated 42  § 1983 and the  and.

Plaintiffs have submitted that "the Act unconstitutionally curtailed on its face based on content regulation and the labeling requirement, was unconstitutionally vague, and violated equal protection. California's restrictions could open the door for states to limit minors' access to other material under the guise of protecting children."

By December 2005, both bills had been struck down as unconstitutional, by, District Judge, Presiding in the in , thereby preventing either from going into effect on January 1, 2006.

Judge Whyte has granted plaintiffs’ motion for a in "Video Software Dealers Ass’n v. Schwarzenegger," 401  1034 (N.D. Cal. 2005), and cross-motions for, in "Video Software Dealers Ass’n v. Schwarzenegger," No. C-05-04188, slip op. (N.D. Cal. Aug. 6, 2007).

Similar bills were subsequently filed in such states as Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan and Louisiana have been ruled to be unconstitutional by federal courts on First Amendment grounds, according to Sean Bersell, a spokesman for the Entertainment Merchants Association.

The defendants, in the instant Case No. 07-16620, have timely appealed the. On October 29, 2008, the appealed case was argued and submitted to the 's, hence, the promulgation of the instant 30 pages decision (No. 07-16620; D.C. No. CV-05-04188-RMW) by , Chief Judge, and (who wrote the court's opinion), Judges.

In the ban’s defense, for the State of California, Zackery Morazzini has contended that "if governments restrict the sale of pornography to minors, it should also create a separate category for ultra-violent video games." ,, has also argued that "the Court should analyze the Act’s restrictions under what has been called the 'variable obscenity' or 'obscenity as to minors' standard first mentioned in Ginsberg, 390 U.S. 629. The Court’s reasoning in Ginsberg that a state could prohibit the sale of sexually-explicit material to minors that it could not ban from distribution to adults should be extended to materials containing violence."

The "Fallo" or dispositive portion of the in question goes as follows:

"We need to help empower parents with the ultimate decision over whether or not their children play in a world of violence and murder," said the law's author, Sen. Leland Yee, announcing he wanted, the current and a former  of the State of California, to appeal the decision to the.

"Letting the industry police itself is like letting kids sign their own report cards and that a self regulating system simply doesn't work. I've always contended that the ... law the governor signed was a good one for protecting children from the harm from playing these ultra-violent video games. I've always felt it would end up in the Supreme Court," Sen. Yee explained. "In fact, the high court recently agreed, in (2005), that we need to treat children differently in the eyes of the law due to brain development," he added.

According to, president of the , plaintiff, the Court's ruling has stressed that parents, with assistance from the industry, are the ones who should control what games their children play. "This is a clear signal that in California and across the country, the reckless pursuit of anti-video game legislation like this is an exercise in wasting taxpayer money, government time and state resources," Gallagher said in a statement.

Entertainment Software Association members include, , , , America, and  Software, the maker of  games.

Judge Callahan has also reprimanded state lawyers for having failed to show any reasonable alternatives to an outright statewide ban against the ultra-violent video games. "Ratings education, retailer ratings enforcement, and control of game play by parents are the appropriate responses to concerns about video game content," said Bo Andersen, president and chief executive of the.

Andersen continues, "retailers are committed to assisting parents in assuring that children do not purchase games that are not appropriate for their age. Independent surveys show that retailers are doing a very good job in this area, with an 80 percent enforcement rate, and retailers will continue to work to increase enforcement rates even further; the court has correctly noted that the state cannot simply dismiss these efforts."

California was already forced to pay $282,794 to the ESA for attorneys' fees, money that would've helped with the state's current budget difficulties. Andersen has urged California government officials not to appeal the case. "The estimated $283,000 in taxpayer money spent by the state on this case is so far an 'ill-advised, and ultimately doomed, attempt at state-sponsored nannyism.' A voluntary ratings system already exists to avoid the state-sponsored nannyism of a ban," he explained.

"The governor believes strongly we have a responsibility to our children and our communities to protect against the effects of video games depicting ultra-violent actions," said Governor Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Camille Anderson adding the governor was reviewing Friday's decision. [[File:MikeGallagher.jpg|left|thumb|155px|, president of the

Deputy Attorney General Zackery Morazzini, the state's counsel in the appealed case, has stressed that "a law restricting sales of violent games is far more effective than industry self-policing, since the technological controls that the court cited as another alternative can be easily bypassed by any kid with an Internet connection."

According to Jim Steyer, Founder of Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization of 750,000 regular users dedicated to improving children’s media lives, researches have shown that playing these violent video games are detrimental for kids mental and physical health. “The health threat involved with kids playing such games is equivalent to smoking cigarettes,” Steyer said. “These violent video games are learning tools for our children and clearly result in more aggressive behavior,” said Randall Hagar, California Psychiatric Association’s Director of Government Affairs.

The 's data reveals that "nearly 70 percent of thirteen to sixteen year olds are able to purchase M-rated (Mature) video games, which are designed for adults; ninety-two percent of children play video or computer games, of which about forty percent are rated M, which are the fastest growing segment of the 10 billion-dollar video game industry; the top selling games reward players for killing police officers, maiming elderly persons, running over pedestrians and committing despicable acts of murder and torture upon women and racial minorities."


text:
Talk:California's violent video game ban law ruled unconstitutional by US Court of Appeals

I CREATED this interesting news article on the California Video Game ban law. I am Philippines Judge Florentino Floro, having registered with Wikinews on December 3, 2008, and is a Editor as of January 12, 2009.
 * Something Different - In having written more than "70 articles" (here - User:Florentino Floro/MyList and in Wikipedia Encyclopedia User:Florentino Floro/MyList2), I live with my Philosophy and hope to elevate Wikinews to the phenomenal success of Wikipedia encyclopedia, by writing very comprehensive, detailed and fully synthesized news, amid collaboration of editors and the final touch of the reviewer. Please do not be annoyed if sometimes, (due to stress and human factor - plus the fact that as lawyer and judge, I never ever had enrolled in any journalism subject), I would tend to relax the copyright rules and style guide, but, without however, violating the SPIRIT AND INTENT of both international law of copyright, and Wikinews rules on style guide. REST ASSURED, that in writing every news article, I VALUE fairness, justice, integrity and honesty. This is what NEWS WRITING is all about. Please help in publishing this news. Cheers.- --Florentino Floro (talk) 09:28, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Other minor sources: Parent group issues warning for Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned

Court Says California Game Rating Law Unconstitutional Court Strikes Down California´s Violent Video Game Law--Florentino Floro (talk) 12:45, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Violent Video Game Law Ruled Unconstitutional --Florentino Floro (talk) 12:54, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Schwarzenegger game law overturned

Court Denies Appeal For California Violent Game Law Court opposes Calif. video game ban California Violent Video-Game Ban Outlawed by Court (Update3) --Florentino Floro (talk) 08:22, 22 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Australian football: Adelaide United defeat Queensland Roar, through to A-League Grand Final

Match broadcast
The match was broadcast on Fox Sports 3 and Fox Sport HD in australia


text:
User talk:117.200.97.156

Please do not test by editing nonsense into articles. Use the WN:SANDBOX for testing. --Brian McNeil / talk 10:49, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:117.200.97.156


text:
Comments:UK firm gets ESA funding to ground test new jet engine for spaceplane

Oh come on, no one's done a "NEED ADDITIONAL SKYLONS" joke yet? Fephisto (talk) 11:59, 21 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Slovak bus accident kills 12

February 21, 2009 A collision between a tourist coach and a train at a level-crossing near Brezno, central Slovakia, has left at least 12 people dead and 20 injured. The accident happened at about 09:00 local time (08:00 UTC) on Saturday morning, when a coach from the western Slovakian town of Bánovce nad Bebravou carrying 36 people to the ski resort of Polomka Bucnik, was struck by a train traveling at full speed at a crossing.

The train, only two cars long, was reported to have derailed, but passengers on it suffered only minor injuries. BBC News reports that there were no rail barriers to stop vehicles, only lights at the crossing.

"All the dead and injured were on the bus. There were only a few passengers on the train and they didn't suffer any serious injuries," said Slovak Railways spokesperson Martina Pavlikova.

Two of the most seriously injured casualties, with spinal injuries, were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Banská Bystrica, while others were treated locally in Brezno. At least six people remain in serious or critical condition.

title: Slovak bus accident kills 12


text:
Talk:Slovak bus accident kills 12

I've put this down as "at least 10 dead" since the German and Czech sources speak of 11 dead. -- Arwel (talk) 12:26, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

Unfortunately the toll is now 12, as reported by the updated Czech source, and by Sky News TV in UK. -- Arwel (talk) 20:14, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:Slovak bus accident kills 12


text:
User:Mfield

Photographer, Los Angeles

user page on English Wikipedia

title: User:Mfield