text:
Category:February 21, 2009

ar:تصنيف:21 فبراير 2009 cs:Kategorie:21. únor 2009 de:Kategorie:21.02.2009 es:Categoría:21 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:21 février 2009 it:Categoria:21 febbraio 2009 ja:カテゴリ:2009年2月21日 no:Kategori:21. februar 2009 pl:Kategoria:21 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:21 de fevereiro de 2009 ru:Категория:21 февраля 2009 sr:Категорија:21. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:21. helmikuuta 2009 sv:Kategori:21 februari 2009

title: Category:February 21, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/21

 category=Published category=February 21, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/21 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/21 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/21日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/21日

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

title: Wikinews:2009/February/21


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/21

 category=February 21, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/21


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/21

 category=February 21, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/21


text:
Category:February 22, 2009

ar:تصنيف:22 فبراير 2009 cs:Kategorie:22. únor 2009 de:Kategorie:22.02.2009 es:Categoría:22 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:22 février 2009 it:Categoria:22 febbraio 2009 ja:カテゴリ:2009年2月22日 no:Kategori:22. februar 2009 pl:Kategoria:22 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:22 de fevereiro de 2009 sr:Категорија:22. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:22. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 22, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/22

 category=Published category=February 22, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/22 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/22 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/22日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/22日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/22


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/22

 category=February 22, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/22


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/22

 category=February 22, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/22


text:
Category:February 23, 2009

ar:تصنيف:23 فبراير 2009 de:Kategorie:23.02.2009 es:Categoría:23 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:23 février 2009 it:Categoria:23 febbraio 2009 hu:Kategória:2009. február 23. ja:Category:2009年2月23日 no:Kategori:23. februar 2009 pl:Kategoria:23 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:23 de fevereiro de 2009 sr:Категорија:23. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:23. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 23, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/23

 category=Published category=February 23, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/23 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/23 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/23日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/23日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/23


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/23

 category=February 23, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/23


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/23

 category=February 23, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/23


text:
Category:February 24, 2009

ar:تصنيف:24 فبراير 2009 de:Kategorie:24.02.2009 es:Categoría:24 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:24 février 2009 it:Categoria:24 febbraio 2009 hu:Kategória:2009. február 24. ja:Category:2009年2月24日 no:Kategori:24. februar 2009 pl:Kategoria:24 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:24 de fevereiro de 2009 sr:Категорија:24. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:24. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 24, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/24

 category=Published category=February 24, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/24 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/24 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/24日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/24日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/24


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/24

 category=February 24, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/24


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/24

 category=February 24, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/24


text:
Category:February 25, 2009

ar:تصنيف:25 فبراير 2009 de:Kategorie:25.02.2009 es:Categoría:25 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:25 février 2009 it:Categoria:25 febbraio 2009 hu:Kategória:2009. február 25. ja:Category:2009年2月25日 pl:Kategoria:25 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:25 de fevereiro de 2009 ro:Categorie:25 februarie 2009 sr:Категорија:25. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:25. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 25, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/25

 category=Published category=February 25, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/25 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/25 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/25日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/25日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/25


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/25

 category=February 25, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/25


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/25

 category=February 25, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/25


text:
Category:February 26, 2009

ar:تصنيف:26 فبراير 2009 de:Kategorie:26.02.2009 es:Categoría:26 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:26 février 2009 it:Categoria:26 febbraio 2009 hu:Kategória:2009. február 26. ja:Category:2009年2月26日 pl:Kategoria:26 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:26 de fevereiro de 2009 ro:Categorie:26 februarie 2009 sr:Категорија:26. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:26. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 26, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/26

 category=Published category=February 26, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/26 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/26 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/26日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/26日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/26


text:
Holocaust denial bishop apologizes

January 31, 2009 A bishop who denied the deaths of 6 million Jewish people in the Nazi Holocaust has apologized to the Pope.

Bishop Richard Williamson was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in 1988 due to his membership of the Society of St. Pius X, which did not accept the Vatican II reforms of the mid-1960s. Pope Benedict XVI allowed Williamson back into the Roman Catholic church last Saturday. A few days before that, Swedish state television, SVT broadcast an interview in which Williamson said, "I believe there were no gas chambers, yes. I don’t think 6 million Jews were gassed", according to euronews. CNN gives the quote as "I believe that the historical evidence is strongly against — is hugely against — 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler".

Williamson has now written to Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, who handles the reintegration of excommunicated Society of Saint Pius X members, to apologize for the distress and problems he caused with his statement. He wrote: "Amidst this tremendous media storm stirred up by imprudent remarks of mine on Swedish television, I beg of you to accept, only as is properly respectful, my sincere regrets for having caused to yourself and to the Holy Father so much unnecessary distress and problems," CNN reports.

The apology was followed by further problems when a fellow member of the Society was quoted in an Italian newspaper as saying he did not know if anyone had died in Nazi gas chambers. The Associated Press say that Father Floriano Abrahamowicz confirmed that the remarks, made to La Tribuna di Treviso, were his.

Last Wednesday, the Pope included a reference to Holocaust denial at the end of his weekly audience. Recently returned from a trip to the site of one of the camps, he said remembering the Holocaust "induces humanity to reflect on the unpredictability of evil when it conquers the heart of man. The Shoah be for all a warning against oblivion, against denial or reductionism, because the violence done against one human being is violence done against all."

title: Holocaust denial bishop apologizes


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/26

 category=February 26, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/26


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/26

 category=February 26, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/26


text:
Category:February 27, 2009

ar:تصنيف:27 فبراير 2009 cs:Kategorie:27. únor 2009 de:Kategorie:27.02.2009 es:Categoría:27 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:27 février 2009 it:Categoria:27 febbraio 2009 ja:カテゴリ:2009年2月27日 pl:Kategoria:27 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:27 de fevereiro de 2009 ro:Categorie:27 februarie 2009 sr:Категорија:27. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:27. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 27, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/27

 category=Published category=February 27, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/27 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/27 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/27日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/27日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/27


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/27

 category=February 27, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/27


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/27

 category=February 27, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/27


text:
Category:February 28, 2009

ar:تصنيف:28 فبراير 2009 de:Kategorie:28.02.2009 es:Categoría:28 de febrero de 2009 fr:Catégorie:28 février 2009 it:Categoria:28 febbraio 2009 hu:Kategória:2009. február 28. ja:Category:2009年2月28日 pl:Kategoria:28 lutego 2009 pt:Categoria:28 de fevereiro de 2009 sr:Категорија:28. фебруар 2009. fi:Luokka:28. helmikuuta 2009

title: Category:February 28, 2009


text:
Wikinews:2009/February/28

 category=Published category=February 28, 2009 notcategory=Disputed notcategory=No publish suppresserrors=true stablepages=only showcurid=true

fr:Wikinews:2009/février/28 it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio/28 ja:ウィキニュース:2009年/2月/28日 zh:Wikinews:2009年/2月/28日

title: Wikinews:2009/February/28


text:
Portal:Australia/2009/February/28

 category=February 28, 2009 category=Published category=Australia notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:Australia/2009/February/28


text:
Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/28

 category=February 28, 2009 category=Published category=New Zealand notcategory=Disputed suppresserrors=true stablepages=only

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February/28


text:
Wikinews:2009/February

February 28
de:Wikinews:Archiv/Hauptseite/2009/02 es:Wikinoticias:Archivo/2009/02 fi:Wikiuutiset:2009/Helmikuu fr:Wikinews:2009/février it:Wikinotizie:2009/febbraio nl:Wikinews:2009/februari pt:Wikinotícias:2009/fevereiro

title: Wikinews:2009/February


title: Portal:Australia/2009/February


text: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February

title: Portal:New Zealand/2009/February


text:
Comments:Zimbabwe opposition agrees to join government

Zimbabwe needs to get rid of their president then they have some hope.--66.229.21.217 23:28, 30 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Zimbabwe submits to popular pressure: foreign currencies now legal tender

Commentary on Zibabwe's hyperinfaltion.
I had always thought that the hyperinfaltion the the Riechtag Government of Germany after WWI was extremely bad. Experts claim that the rate of inflation made the German mark worth more as a sourse of fuel to be burned then as legal tender. I see Zimbabwe has a much greater problem. The article claimed Zimbabwe's rate of inflation somethng to the effect of 6.5 X 10^109. That is a number way bigger than the distance from Earth to the sun in kilometers. (149 598 000 kilometers). Its even bigger than 1 lightyear in meters. (9.4605284 × 10^15 meters). It is slightly larger than 1 googol, or a 1 followed by 100 zeros (10^100, or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ). That is a lot of worthless money.

--64.91.135.166 23:39, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

The illustrations
It's worth noting that the $100,000,000 note shown in the article is a note of the second Zimbabwe dollar, before they knocked ten noughts off last July, so it was equivalent to $0.01 third Zimbabwe dollar, which the $10,000,000,000,000 is an example of - this month they've knocked another twelve noughts off, so that ten trillion dollar note is equivalent to $10 of the fourth Zimbabwe dollar. The second Zimbabwe dollar was introduced in August 2006 with a value of $1000 first Zimbabwe dollars, so in less than 2.5 years they've got through three complete currencies and knocked 25 noughts off the currency. Back in 1980 a Zimbabwe dollar was worth $1.47 US. -- Arwel (talk) 14:24, 7 February 2009 (UTC)


text: Talk:Holocaust denial bishop apologizes

title: Talk:Holocaust denial bishop apologizes


text:
Comments:Brain chemical Serotonin behind locusts’ swarming instinct

Absolutely wonderful. A thousand jubilations to the fine fellows at Oxford, Sydney, and Cambridge. Very good article. There was once a locust that was some six inches in length ? Well thank god that thing has gone extinct ?Well if the distribution of psychtropic meds to the grasshoppers doesnt work out I have another (albeit perhaps a bit crazy) idea ? I was thinking the use of airships and or hot air balloons with giant lightweight nets slung beneath them ( constructed of fiberglass window screen material and half inch pvc pipe perhaps)working in conjunction with " ground crews " which would close up and secure the nets once the airships and or balloons had captured a bunch of em ? Rounded em up so to speak ? Once secured in " bug bundles" they could at that point be dealt with in any number of ways ? Such as being ground up for chicken feed or fish food for aquafarmers? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.120.33.119 (talk) 05:24, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

I too change from a calm and reclusive loner to a wild gregarious party animal, often converging in fields with swarms of like minded ravers after upping our serotinin levels. I wonder if you slowed locust chirps down enough if they'd sound like house music.

-Rhesusmonkey —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.56.123.129 (talk) 05:08, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

What wonderfully exciting news. A breakthrough, as far as I am concerned. This article taught me a lot.

The more we know, the better prepared we can be for what we don't know. Where will this go? What will it be like when we get there? What fascinating questions.

Hope we learn, along the way, more about the effects of locusts, and the affects of seratonin-controlling substances.

For example, while there is no dispute that locusts can and have caused devasting damage throughout known and biblical history, what other affects have they had and what other affects have their devastation caused? If we control locust swarms, will we be losing some benefit that we have yet to identify? Will this put us on notice so we take the opportunity to do the research on the benefits, as well as the fearful detriments? Without such research, it seems to me, that we could easily be confronted with some very startling "unexpected consequence."

For another example, if we spray a substance or put it into the food chain that could control seratonin levels in locusts, will it also control seratonin levels in humans, or in other animals, or in yet other living things? Will we discover that spraying anti-seratonin substances is a devastating as was spraying DDT? Will we, at that point, have enough energy and creativity and ability to "swarm" on our own to recognize what is happening to us, develop means of studying the problem, have an efficient enough decision-making process to head the human smarm in the "right" direction, and deliver the solution that could break us out of the anti-seratonin malaise of our own making? --Blumrosen (talk) 13:48, 6 February 2011 (UTC)?


text: Talk:Franco-Belgian bank Dexia to restructure, lose 900 jobs


text:
Trial date set for fraud case against Church of Scientology in France

January 31, 2009

A trial date has been set in a fraud case against the Church of Scientology in France. The date for the first hearing has been set for May 25, 2009. If the Church is found guilty, then Scientology would be ruled illegal and would be banned from operating in France.

Prosecutors claim that the Church is engaged in illicit practices in attempts to sell their alleged self-help material. The Church also faces charges of illegally operating as a pharmacy by illegally treating individuals with prescription medications.

The charges come from an unnamed woman, who in 1998 purchased nearly 140,000₣ (US$30,000) worth of Scientology self-help material which allegedly included prescription drugs. After a few months passed, the woman said she felt like she was being scammed.

Following several complaints from other unnamed individuals and an investigation, judge Jean-Christophe Hullin ordered the Church's 'Celebrity Center', and the seven managers to be put on trial for fraud and "illegally practicing as pharmacists."

On September 8, 2008 the Church released a statement following the order to stand trial saying that they felt "stigmatized" by the French judicial system.

"The special treatment reserved for the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center raises questions about the equality of the justice system and the presumption of innocence," the Church said in a statement to the press.

This is not the first time the Church has been accused of fraud in France. They have also been convicted of it several times, including the Church's founder, L. Ron Hubbard who was convicted of fraud in 1978. In 1997 the Church was convicted of fraud in Lyon and 1999 in Marseille. The 1978 convictions included Hubbard and his wife at the time, Mary Sue, both now deceased, and two other Scientologists.

The 1978 convictions included Hubbard and four Scientologists after a seven year investigation into the Church by the French authorities. The court ruled that Hubbard and the others were using Scientology by making fraudulent claims that it was curing people from diseases to "increase the financial revenue" of the Church, and the ruling ordered Hubbard and the Scientologists to serve four years in prison.

However, Hubbard, along with the four Scientologists fled France, never to return, and never served a prison term.


text:
User talk:75.136.208.157

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

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here a few pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:10, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
 * Cite sources - everything in a Wikinews article must be sourced
 * Introduction - overview of the site
 * Writing an article - how to write and publish a complete article
 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
 * Style guide - how an article should look before publishing
 * Contents - the contents page.
 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
 * The front page lead articles often need updating
 * Developing stories need finishing and publishing
 * Discussions need your input
 * And of course, stories need writing!

title: User talk:75.136.208.157


text:
Cyprus detains weapon-laden ship

February 1, 2009

On Friday, authorities in Cyprus said that they had detained a ship carrying the nation's flag. The ship, which had initially docked at Port Said in Egypt, went to the Cypriot port of Limassol after Egyptian authorities ordered it to leave.

In Limassol, the container ship, the Monchegorsk, was anchored and boarded by Cypriot authorities. It still remains anchored there as of Sunday. The Famagusta Gazette cited well-informed sources as saying the ship contains specialized components for the manufacture of rockets.

According to reports, the ship was initially stopped in the Red Sea by the United States Navy, but it lacked the authority to board the ship or prevent it from continuing its route.

Cyprus state radio reported the vessel was Russian-owned traveling from Iran to Syria with weapons destined for Hamas.

Haaretz reported that Israel believes the weapons were bound for Hezbollah or for Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, the President of Cyprus said the ship was in violation of United Nations resolutions. However, he did not go into detail.

"We are investigating what it is carrying and for this reason we have to handle things very responsibly and with a great deal of seriousness, without a lot of media noise," President Dimitris Christofias said.

"It is a problem for us that we are forced to accept a ship under the Cypriot flag which is carrying whatever [it] is carrying, which is contrary or in conflict with Security Council resolutions," Christofias added.

On Sunday, Cyprus foreign minister Markos Kyprianou said that the government was still investigating whether the ship was in violation of United Nations resolutions.

"Our aim is to resolve the matter in the best possible way without harming the interests of the Republic of Cyprus ... The less that is said the better," said Marios Garoyian, president of the House of Representatives of Cyprus.

title: Cyprus detains weapon-laden ship


text:
User talk:74.215.168.133

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

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here a few pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 02:47, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
 * Cite sources - everything in a Wikinews article must be sourced
 * Introduction - overview of the site
 * Writing an article - how to write and publish a complete article
 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
 * Style guide - how an article should look before publishing
 * Contents - the contents page.
 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
 * The front page lead articles often need updating
 * Developing stories need finishing and publishing
 * Discussions need your input
 * And of course, stories need writing!

title: User talk:74.215.168.133


text: Talk:Cyprus detains weapon-laden ship

title: Talk:Cyprus detains weapon-laden ship


text:
Talk:Trial date set for fraud case against Church of Scientology in France

Last paragraph
The last paragraph about the American Rights Counsel and Bunker seems so tangentially connected that I advocate for its removal. --SVTCobra 03:27, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Go for it. Though I disagree because it adds background. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 04:15, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * No, it is axe-grinding. Prescribing drugs without a license in France is only very tenuously linked to DMCA takedowns. --Brian McNeil / talk 11:15, 31 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Holocaust denial bishop apologizes

Holocaust Deniers in General
I don't understand how you can deny such events from occuring. Why would all these people lie? How could all the video footage have been forged? All the diary entries. The confessions. The remains. I hate when people get into superlatives, but this man, and all like him, absolutely sicken me! How dare they! -- Poe Joe (talk) 05:47, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't get it either, its not like the Nazi's tried to keep it a big secret. There are thousands of boxes of documents that substantiate this, the Nazi's were quite good at keeping records of everything.
 * I try to look into why someone with thousands of cases, millions of pictures and tens of millions of witnesses can be a denial it just go down the simply thing. Their antisemitic.--KDP3 (talk) 14:49, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Thank's
Thank's to you. All catholic can't let it happen again. I hope no one ever think to genocide a race. And if it happens, I hope Vatican punish them with what they need.

??
The Catholic Church has a muslim bishop?? It's the only explanation... Only muslims are inferior enough to be responsible for such claims... After all, the "West" and its official church are so superior, that wouldn't be responsible for these sorry ass public image..
 * Were did you get Muslim from?--KDP3 (talk) 14:51, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * "Muslims"..."inferior."
 * Wow, so basically you've got the same idea going as the nazis!

 * He was joking. I think he was trying to imply that the media only seems to cover holocaust denial stories when Iran is involved.

Ex-communicated Bishop should do more than apologize!
As an idiot I am sickened by such insensitivity and stupidity. Someone so predjudiced should be stripped of their rank and privilages in the church, in my estimation.18:59, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * "As an idiot I am sickened by such insensitivity and stupidity." Way to go with the elite command of the English language! So few people these days actually admit that they're idiots. --Brian McNeil / talk 15:15, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Holocaust Denier

Bishop Willaimson did not apologize for denying the holocaust; he apologized for offending the Pope. Williamson is and remains a 'Holocaust Denier'.

In my opinion, he should be removed from the Catholic Church.

Williamson did not apologize
Williamson did not apologize for diminishing the holocaust. He apologized for creating a problem for the Pope. He will not apologize for his views, because he is correct.

Are you serious? How can you deny the evidence of 6 million Jews being killed? Seriously! I mean they were burned, shot, etc. and the nazis took pictures and videos, and you deny it?! DERH DAH DERH! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.169.151.71 (talk) 15:50, 18 March 2009 (UTC)


text:
Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden fights back after invasion of German naked hikers

January 31, 2009 A local Swiss government has shown some bare cheek and has taken action, after hordes of German naked hikers rambling across the Swiss alps au naturel, caused indignation amongst locals.

Authorities in Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden have warned that starting from February 9, the government will impose hefty fines of 200 Swiss Francs (£122, €135) on naturists found walking or hiking in the nude without clothes in the picturesque mountains because of a recent influx of visiting German nudists.

The new ordinance is expected to be passed this spring. If it is approved by the local parliament on February 9 it should be effective on April 26. The Swiss canton aims to stop spread of 'indecent practice' by minimally-clad German climbers.

The problem started with a group of "boot-only hikers" who were stopped by the police in the Alpine region last autumn. They had wandered there regularly, proudly marching through nature with bare bums, and had also advertised what they thought was a naked paradise on the internet. But it was all too much for the Swiss.

A nude rambler dressed in nothing more than a rucksack and walking boots in the eastern Appenzell region was arrested and detained in the canton, but authorities were unable to file lawsuit because the act was not punished by law or ordinance at the time.

"We were forced to introduce the legislation against this indecent practice before the warm weather starts," Melchior Looser, the canton’s justice and police minister, said. “Ultimately, in the summer lots of kids stay in our mountains,” he added.

In the guidelines imposed, arrested offenders who cannot pay the fine, will face legal action. The new enabling ordinance has, however, been met with protests by nude hikers. "We simply try to tune into nature. It's the most harmless pursuit possible," said Dietmar, age 58, a German lawyer.

German tabloid Bild Zeitung has editorially attacked Swiss intolerance and even suggested nudist alternatives worldwide, after hinting a Swiss tourism boycott. Local authorities of Harz mountain range in central Germany have also announced the openness to any visitor of an “official naked walking route” in nature's outdoors.

Freikörperkultur ("FKK"), or "free body culture", is a popular pastime in Germany. It is a German movement which endorses a naturistic approach to sports and community living. Behind that is the joy of the experience of nature or also on being nude itself, without direct relationship to sexuality. The followers of this culture are called traditional naturists, FKK'ler, or nudists.

The naked ramblers have hoped it doesn't lead to another naturist-clothed 'war', like the one at a beach between German and Polish holidaymakers in 2008. Naturism has roots traced from the start of the 20th century. "Abandoning unpractical clothes enables a direct contact with the wind, sun and temperature", naked hiker website nacktwandern.de stated.

But Markus Dörig, a spokesman for Appenzell Innerrhoden canton has defended the law, explaining that the “public nuisance” was a foreign import. “We have been receiving many complaints. The local people are upset and we in the government share their concern. How would one feel if one was to go walking in nature and suddenly came across a group of naked people? They are definitely not people from the area, and I think many of them come from Germany,” he noted.

“We are a small and orderly community and such things are simply out of place here. Perhaps in vast mountain areas naked people would not be much of a problem but here they simply stick out,” Dörig added. "I can understand that we all have to live in this world together," said Barbara Foley, International Naturist Foundation member of the central committee. "But I would certainly enjoy doing the hike in the nude and I wouldn't want to be deprived of it. It's nice to feel the sun on your skin. Maybe they should designate a couple of trails and people would know they might come across naturists there," she added.

Appenzell Innerrhoden (Appenzell Inner Rhodes) is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area. The population of the canton was 15,471 as of 2007, of which 1,510 (or 9.76%) were foreigners. The canton in the north east of Switzerland has an area is 173 km². It was divided in 1597 for religious reasons from the former canton Appenzell, with Appenzell Ausserrhoden being the other half.

Appenzell is the capital of this canton. The constitution was established in 1872. Most of the canton is pastoral, this despite being mountainous. Cattle breeding and dairy farming are the main agricultural activities: Appenzeller cheese is widely available throughout Switzerland. Due to the split of Appenzell along religious lines, the population (as of 2000) is nearly all Roman Catholic (81%), with a small Protestant minority (10%).

The town, however is far from liberalism: the canton granted women the right of suffrage only in 1990 under pressure from the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland and international human rights groups. The Alpine village of Appenzell Innerrhoden, being known for its beautiful landscape, has recently been declared a "naked rambler paradise" by a German mountaineering website, which was created by a lobby group of hikers.


text:
Talk:Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden fights back after invasion of German naked hikers

I CREATED this interesting news article on nude hiking. Please help in publishing it. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 08:59, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Some other sources:Naked walkers who show some bare cheek will be fined!

Fines introduced for naked hikers  Swiss village fights back after invasion of naked German hikers Naked hikers face fines in Switzerland--Florentino Floro (talk) 12:00, 31 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
User:Kevinhksouth

I am a wikipedian from Hong Kong.

 * My user page in English Wikipedia
 * My user page in Chinese Wikipedia

title: User:Kevinhksouth


text:
Iraqi provincial elections relatively peaceful

January 31, 2009 Voters in Iraq have gone to the polls today, the first time in four years, to elect provincial councils.

There have been few reports of the violence or intimidation that have marred previous polls, although there has been violence in the run up to the election. A curfew is in place and airports and borders are closed. Security is tight, with the army guarding polling stations. Three mortar shells (or four flash bombs) are reported to have fallen near a polling station in Tikrit, but without causing injuries. A civilian and six policemen were injured by a bomb in Tuz Khurmatu, north of the capital Baghdad.

There are more than 14,000 people standing in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces, with 440 seats up for election. The three Kurdish-controlled provinces are not voting and the election in Kirkuk province has been postponed. Provincial councils in the country have a large workforce, meaning that changes of control lead to changes in workforce. This gives winning candidates a lot of power in their local area. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency estimated that unemployment rates in the country were between 18% and 30% in 2006.

Analysts have said that voters are likely to turn away from religious parties and focus instead on nationalist and secular issues. In previous elections, the Sunni minority in the country had boycotted the polls. Reports say that they are turning out this time, with high turnouts in Sunni-dominated provinces like Anbar, and voting has been extended by an hour to allow more time.

Iraq was a one-party state following a revolution in 1968. Former dictator Saddam Hussein came to power in an internal coup in 1979. He was removed from power in 2003 following the controversial American-led invasion of the country. After the invasion, the economy and civil structure of the country collapsed but now appears to be stabilising, with more areas being returned to local control and plans by new U.S. President Barack Obama for American troops to withdraw.


text:
British Airways plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2050

January 31, 2009

United Kingdom flag carrier British Airways (BA) has announced a plan to cut their net carbon dioxide emissions by 50% between now and 2050. The target was announced by airline head Willie Walsh speaking in Hyderabad upon the opening of a new route between London's Heathrow Airport and the Indian city. This is the most ambitious such target set by an airline.

"Some people say that in economic times as desperately tough as these, we can afford to put climate change issues on one side. I could not disagree more. Halving net CO 2 by 2050 is an extremely challenging target. But it is one I am sure we can achieve," said Walsh.

"We will make progress through investment in cleaner aircraft, use of alternative fuels, more efficient flight routings and the spread of emissions trading from Europe to the whole world," he explained.

“We have taken climate change issues very seriously for a long time. More than a decade ago, we became the first airline to publish fuel efficiency targets – and we have achieved an improvement since then of almost 30 per cent. [...] We are the only airline to have experience of emissions trading, and we have helped fund research into lower-carbon aviation fuels. We are currently working closely with Rolls-Royce to develop alternative fuel opportunities.”

If successful, BA's carbon dioxide emissions will lower from sixteen million tonnes in 2005 to eight million tonnes in 2050. Walsh also spoke of previous experience the airline had in the field, and noted that they "are currently working closely with Rolls-Royce to develop alternative fuel opportunities."


text:
US Republicans elect first African-American chairman

January 31, 2009 The Republican National Committee has elected African-American Michael S. Steele as its chairman.

Steele, 50, a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, won after the sixth round of voting against Katon Dawson of South Carolina. Steele's candidacy was controversial as he was seen as being on the left of his party's base and had been a member of the Republican Leadership Council, an anti-social-conservatism movement. He had denied being a moderate, telling CNN: "I'm proud to say I'm a conservative, have been, always will be."

Steele has an agenda of reform for his party. In addition to the election of Barack Obama of the opposing Democrats in the presidential election of 2008, the Democrats gained eight seats in the Senate and 21 seats in the House. He told the media that the Republicans have an image problem, being thought of as a party that is "insensitive, a party that is unconcerned about minorities, a party that is unconcerned about the lives and the expectations and dreams of average Americans."

According to the BBC, the Republicans are aware of not being able to reach the country's non-white population, a job made tougher by the Democrats having a very visible mixed-race leader in the White House.

When campaigning for the United States Senate in 2006, Steele had been a vocal critic of then-President George W. Bush. In an off-the-record press lunch, which within 24 hours had his name attached to it, he had loudly criticized Bush's handling of the Iraq War and the Hurricane Katrina rescue effort. He told reporters that standing as a Republican at that time was like being branded, saying "I've got an R here, a scarlet letter."

The Republican National Committee develops and promotes the Republican Party's political platform and coordinates fundraising and election strategy. Steele spent more than $200,000 on his Convention election campaign.


text: Talk:British Airways plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2050


text:
Jack Herrick, wikiHow founder interviewed by Wikinews

January 31, 2009 wikiHow is a wiki-based site which aims to "build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual." It recently published its 50,000th article, and to discuss what the site has achieved since its creation, Wikinews interviewed the site's founder, Jack Herrick.

In the interview, Herrick explains what wikiHow is, why he decided to create it, how he grew it in size, and why he chose to use a Creative Commons license for his site. Read below for more of the interview in full.

Interview
For our readers who are unaware of your site, could you briefly explain what wikiHow is?

Jack Herrick: Sure. wikiHow is a collaborative effort to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Our long term goal is to produce practical instructions on almost every topic in every language. We're quite far from our goals currently, but we take comfort in the fact that every month wikiHow gets noticeably better and larger. We currently have just under 50,000 articles [Note: The interview took place just before the 50,000 milestone was met] and over 1,000 featured articles. We hope that in time, we will have millions of articles with many of them having featured status. That said, we are realistic enough to realize that this goal will take decades to achieve. However, in terms of readership, we are probably the most popular single subject wiki after Wikipedia. We get over 14 million unique visitors per month (source:Google Analytics), which makes us the 135th most popular site according to Quantcast.

Like Wikipedia, wikiHow is a wiki that runs on Mediawiki software. Our community is full of volunteers from all over the world. That said, we are quite different from Wikipedia in several respects:
 * We are much smaller. The English wikiHow has only 60 admins, compared to the 1000+ on English Wikipedia. As a result, wikiHow is still at the size that every editor eventually gets to know other editors.
 * We are run as a Hybrid Organization - a for-profit company focused on achieving a social good. This has several advantages and disadvantages when compared to the non-profit structure at the Wikimedia Foundation. We show opt-out advertising to anonymous visitors rather than ask for donations. Our advertising revenue funds community meetups and has even allowed us to donate over $60,000 to charities such as the Wikimedia Foundation and Creative Commons. (http://www.wikihow.com/wikiHow:Contributions-to-Charity). In addition, we've used our revenue on things like buying carbon offsets to become carbon neutral. (http://www.wikihow.com/wikiHow:Carbon-Neutral)
 * Our community culture is focused on wikiLove and civility. As a result some folks believe wikiHow is a more humane and enjoyable place to work than other places online.

Why did you decide to create wikiHow?

JH: I think that providing people with a practical education is one of the most empowering things you can offer a person. Imagine having detailed step-by-step instructions on how to do any activity you could imagine. How much more could you accomplish as an individual if you could learn any activity? I think that building a universal how-to manual would be a tremendous gift for the world. Knowledge is power and wikiHow has the potential to make all of us a bit more powerful.

I've been interested in building a comprehensive how-to manual long before I first envisioned wikiHow. My first attempt at building this resource was a website I used to run called eHow. eHow was and continues to be the largest and how to website in the world. eHow contains copyrighted content run on proprietary software. When I ran eHow, the content was professionally produced and edited. This business model worked for producing content on topics that appeal to advertisers in languages like English that have large advertising markets. However, paying people to write and edit articles ultimately means that you have to make one of two sacrifices. You either 1) sacrifice on breadth and don't produce the topics that won't interest advertisers, or 2) you sacrifice on quality and produce content that doesn't cost much to write. I wasn't interested in making either of these sacrifices, as I think the world's how to manual needs to be high quality AND comprehensive. So ultimately I decided that eHow's model would not build the resource I envisioned. When I discovered Wikipedia, I recognized that the wiki model had the potential to build the how-to resource the world really needs. So I decided to sell eHow and use the proceeds to build wikiHow.

Why did you decide to use a Creative Commons license?

JH: We use a Creative Commons license to give our community the right to fork (http://www.wikihow.com/wikiHow:Right-to-Fork). In my opinion, people should be hesitant to contribute to websites where you only have the "right to leave." If wikiHow volunteers think our site is going in the wrong direction, they can take all the content and all the software and move the project elsewhere. This is possible because we release all of our software under the Open Source GPL license and release our content under a Creative Commons license. This right to fork guarantees that wikiHow, the company, will always serve the goal of the mission and our volunteer community. I believe that offering this right to fork has been a key element of our success thus far. My hope is that over time, internet users will demand this of any site where they invest their time in a way that creates value for others.

That said, when we started out I didn't know the difference between the GNU Free Document License and my California Driver's license. As a result, we made some mistakes along the path. In retrospect, I think we probably should have selected the CC BY-SA license instead of CC-BY-SA-NC. At a minimum this would provide a helpful compatibility with other wikis and free culture projects.

'''wikiHow now has millions of visitors per month. How did you grow the site to the size it is today?'''

JH: In December 2008, wikiHow had over 14 million unique visitors according to Google Analytics (Full data: http://www.wikihow.com/wikiHow:Statistics). Quantcast ranks wikiHow as the 135th most popular site in the US. (http://www.quantcast.com/wikihow.com). wikiHow achieved this popularity for a few reasons. First, people around the world are desperate for high quality how-to information. People want to learn more practical skills, and for the most part the internet doesn't provide enough quality information yet. Second, we attracted millions of readers via the virtuous circle of wiki editing: We had some articles of mixed quality, and editors joined to improve those articles, which in turn attracted more readers. We continue to depend on this same virtuous cycle: More readers, means more editors, which creates better instructions, leading again to more readers. It is the same virtuous circle that Wikipedia has enjoyed.


text:
Talk:Jack Herrick, wikiHow founder interviewed by Wikinews

Interview conducted via email. Email me (Email via Wikinews), leave a message at my talk page, or message me on IRC if you want me to forward the email to you. Thanks, --Anonymous101talk 18:20, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Mismatched formatting...
edit protected

This should be all bold, or all italic? Which is it? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 17:02, 9 September 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅ Was supposed to be bold. •–• 17:14, 9 September 2020 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Post-probe, problematic peanut paste products pulled

Was an alliterative title
Was an alliterative title *really* necessary? It distracts from the problems caused by the contamination and the fact that people have died because of it. Unidyne (talk) 18:47, 31 January 2009 (UTC)


text: Talk:Iraqi provincial elections relatively peaceful


text: Talk:US Republicans elect first African-American chairman


text:
Comments:Failed suicide bomber imprisoned for life

Mental age of 10 ideal Osama recruit!
Children and intellectually challenged individuals prime candidates for muslim bulls---t about the holiness of killing yourself and innocents to further a bankrupt and hate-filled adgenda.206.24.49.1 19:28, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I make a distinction between "Muslim" and "Islamist", in much the same way as I put Christians and the whackos who bomb abortion clinics in different categories. But what can you really say? Religion breeds and encourages intolerance, there is always the argument that following a faith makes you better than those who do not. For all the major theistic belief sets, attempts to counter this are made by invoking "tolerance". How magnanimous! Fuck "tolerance", try "acceptance" for a change. Tolerance implies simply waiting for the opportunity to convert or get rid of those you don't agree with. Acceptance is coming to terms with the facts that they have as much right to be where they are, think what they think, and believe what they believe, as you do. --Brian McNeil / talk 20:17, 31 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
User talk:Syedatif

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 19:39, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Your article
The article is an editorial, not a news article. It is an opinion piece. Wikinews doesn't do opinion pieces or editorials. As one of many examples of this type of thing in the article, look at the following:

''We ask you, is it a crime to speak out for truth? is it a crime to demand what you payed for? is it a crime to stand up and let others know what is being done wrong in the college?''

That isn't simply stating facts, that is forcing an opinion on the readers. That isn't allowed. Gopher65talk 17:26, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

Your comments
I happened to come across the notes you left in various places, and while they weren't directed at me, I want to try and answer your concerns nonetheless. Basically, well Wikinews is a news site, that doesn't mean its for all types of news. We aim to be both objective and neutral. The article you wrote, in my mind best fits into the category of editorial. The article basically complains about the quality of a collage in the UAE, and suggests it should be changed. Well it might be true that the collage is of inferror quality, and it may also be true that attention should be drawn to the situation, Wikinews is not the place for doing that. Wikinews aims to be a website for objective and neutral news. Unfortunatly your article is neither. Please keep in mind I'm not making any judgements about the quality or notability of the contents of the article, All I am saying is it is outside of the scope of our project.

Wikinews articles should present the facts, and only the facts. They should not endorse any opinion on the facts. We want the reader to read the facts, and come to their own conclusion. For example in the last paragraph of your article you say "For this, we need the college authorities to take stuff seriously and to listen to all the students with dedication" This is essentially the opposite of what a wikinews article should be. Its telling the reader what to think .As I said previously, these types of articles are important to the world, but Wikinews is not the place for them. Remember as far as wikinews is concerned, there is no Truth to a situation, only stuff that happened. We report on what happened (A roof collapsed, so and so said this, etc), and let the reader determine any truth to a situation. Hopefully that helped answer your questions. Bawolff ☺☻ 07:04, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Syedatif


text:
Comments:Iraqi provincial elections relatively peaceful

Okay....I'm going to be the first to say it. Thank you Georgie W Bush for giving democracy for the Arabs and hopefully true democracy spreads across the Middle East.--KDP3 (talk) 20:07, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * And may I take the opportunity to remind future American leaders that half-baked notions of interfering in other countries' affairs to defeat terrorism leads to a vast increase in domestic and international terrorism and a bloodbath all round. Though I would have thought that was obvious. Redvers (talk) 20:14, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * I would like to thank every single Americans that supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and thank you Micheal Moore (and all liberal traitors) for giving the Terrorist a voice and spreading lies and propaganda. And on a side note Freedom is NOT free.--KDP3 (talk) 20:31, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * But neither does it need to be bought at such a very high price. Redvers (talk) 20:50, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Blame the wife beating terrorist that don't believe in democracy not President Bush.--66.229.21.217 22:38, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * But Iraq didn't sponsor terrorism against the US. It was not involved with 9/11. Yet we attacked Iraq, creating chaos and bringing destruction to a stable country. The people of Iraq may have been oppressed by a brutal dictator, but if made a list of brutal dictators in the world to pick off with military force, Saddam was not anywhere near the top. Redvers (talk) 22:52, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Tell that too the Kurds and your grand kids you were against a war that gave freedom to oppress people. And hopefully Democracy thought out the Middle east.--66.229.21.217 23:02, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * It didn't give freedom to oppressed people, it brought death on a scale they'd never known. It made employed people unemployed. It made a modern, westernised country into a stone-aged Islamic state. It turned a multiethnic nation into a divided, hostile hellhole. It took 24hr electricity and made it 2 hours a day. It took 24 hour drinking water and made it into a typhoid-laden pump that's on for a couple of hours a day. It brought terrorism into a country that didn't have it. It incited people outside of Iraq into committing acts of terrorism in the west. And there's no sign of democracy in the middle east, just shaky elections for religious fundamentalists to dish out patronage. Well, in that sense, I suppose it's not too far from American elections. But otherwise... no. This was a disaster in every way for everybody. Including the heroic service people arriving home by the dozen in bodybags. Redvers (talk) 23:10, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Redvers you are wrong on so many levels. Just admit Iraq is now better off then Saddam. Men and Women are express themselves freely openly express their beliefs without the government stopping them. And blame the terrorist for making things worse and thank the American soldier Iraq is free. Even Obama agree the Surge which is why the election is talking place worked.--KDP3 (talk) 00:58, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

Operation Iraqi Freedom had very little to do with bringing democracy to the Middle East, and a whole lot to do with expanding and cementing American influence per the Project for a New American Century. --Brian McNeil / talk 21:27, 31 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Fast track offer if Iceland applies to join EU

February 1, 2009

A commissioner in Brussels has suggested that Iceland could be fast tracked to join the European Union (EU) by 2011.

The European Commissioner for enlargement, Olli Rehn, said that if the country, stricken by the world financial meltdown, applied for membership to the 52-year-old international economic and social organization this year, it would be welcomed with open arms. The EU is expecting an application if the Social Democratic Alliance wins May's general election in the country.

The next entrant to the union is to be Croatia. It has been rapidly making changes to its government and economy in order to join in 2011. The EU will then have 28 members. Iceland could join at the same time, making 29.

Iceland could join quickly because it is already a member of the European Economic Area and therefore already complies with many EU directives. The main contention would be Iceland's rich fishing waters, which are contested by several nearby fishing countries. Iceland and the United Kingdom fought short naval wars in the 1950s and 1970s over the issue of fishing rights in the area. There is also an issue with Ireland's failure to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon, which was designed to streamline the union as more countries join. Without the unanimous ratification, further expansion is difficult.

The EU has its roots in the six member European Coal and Steel Community, founded by France and then-West Germany in 1951. In 1957, the members of the Community formed the European Economic Community (EEC), a common market and customs union. The coal and steel organization was merged into the EEC in 1967. In 1993, the EEC became the European Union. The EU adopted a central banking system and single currency, the Euro, between 1999 and 2002.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Turkey are all on the waiting list for entry to the EU.


text:
Discworld author films his battle with Alzheimer's

January 31, 2009 The Discworld author Sir Terry Pratchett is to appear in a BBC documentary covering a year of his struggle with the brain disorder Alzheimer's disease.

Pratchett, 60, asked the BBC to spend a year documenting any decline in his condition and seeing him experiment with various supposed cures. One alleged cure involved firing infrared light at his brain via a helmet invented by a general practitioner doctor. Pratchett also examines the serious research into dementia and its cure.

The author has donated £500,000 to the Alzheimer's Research Trust and his campaigning has raised another £200,000. Pratchett has posterior cortical atrophy, a rare form of the disease which affects vision, causes him to forget words and makes dressing confusing. He has written 36 Discworld novels amongst other works and was knighted in the 2009 New Years Honours.

Posterior cortical atrophy is also known as Benson's syndrome. It is the progressive shrinking of the back of the brain. It is a form of Alzheimer's disease, and the wider disease affects some 26.6 million people worldwide.

The documentary - Terry Pratchett: Living with Alzheimer's - will air on BBC Two on February 4 at 21:00.