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Comments:Israel announces ceasefire in Gaza Strip; rocket fire into Israel continues

So meticulously planned
It's disgusting how well planned this mass slaughter was, and now days after Hamas asked for another a ceasefire on reasonable terms, Israel comes up with their own ceasefire to make them look benevolent. Their idea of a ceasefire is to still militarily occupy an area it has no right to be in, and to also make sure no humanitarian aid can reach the wounded starving people of Gaza. It is just disgusting what the Israelis have done, absolutely despicable, and if Israel thinks this will bring peace, well all this will create is thousands of Palestinians who no longer care if they live or die because their homes and families have been destroyed by a mass slaughter perpertraded by an occupying aggresive nation which refuses to sign numerous peace treaties and refuses to listen to the UN. Soapy (talk) 02:43, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I listned to interviws with palestineans on radio today. Things will be bad from now. Israelis are quite unaware what a mess they made. Hanan Ashrawi said that even the most peaceloving palestinean, the moderats, will not talk to israelis now on. Common palestineans say next intifada will be in westfriendly arab nations and the green flag islamist will take over them. And in israel too many jews have hardned themself in the roll of occupier and the paradoxal view of themself as victims. The idea of the palestinians as subhuman is to far spread. Fuck israel and they nazilike mentality they developed. The only solution for them is to pay with land for peace and it will not happen as I understand it. But maby when the arab countries around them turn radical and probably get their hands on nukes they will learn the hard way what misstake they done. And then its to late for them. To late... So lets just write of israel and its inhabitants. No sympaty. international (talk) 16:04, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Uh-huh ... and I think pretty much the exact opposite, which is that Israel has every right to attempt to destroy Hamas, who have an unshakable, irrational desire to constantly attack Israel with rockets and bombs, and that this is a desire commonly shared in Palestine, which only exists as a population as a kind of revenge on Israel for the old Arab war (of aggression on Israel). I don't know why otherwise sane people often support Palestine, I think pacifism is the usual reason; opinions are astonishingly polarised, so must be based on something more deep-rooted than the facts of any recent news story. 81.131.53.3 17:35, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Naw, thinking thinking. Hamas is quite similar to the state of israel in its fascistoid... someting. To simplify, the state of israel and sionists stole the land and expelled lot of ppl. The palestinians is obviously seen as unwanted animals. Israel is now worser than southafrica was under apartheid. So the palestinians have all right to fight for their right with whatever means they have. War have its own logic and hamas is a result of it. (With possibly good help from Israel as a divide and conquertactic against plo that backfired, like cia:s osamabinladen+alqueda in afghanistan.) So the "unshakable, irrational desire to constantly attack Israel" is not irrational, just unsuccessfull for the moment. Whatever one think about hamas it is the palestinians right to choose the way how to fight israel. A fight that is rightous, imo, untill israel is forced to leave back lot of land when reason and diplmacy dont work. (pre -67 border?) Its up to israel to do the right thing. Or face the consequenses of this war. Stones, bombbelts or nukes. Peace is easiest to fix for them. Give back the stolen land. international (talk) 18:53, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I Don't understand Hamas made a truce with the occupying aggressor, Israel, this is basically the french resistance making a truce against the Germans. Then Hamas held up the truce, Israel refused to acknowledge it mainting its illegal blockades, blockades which were supposed to be eliminated in the truce, and then actually bombing Hamas on November 4th, breaking the truce and then blaming it on Hamas.  So not only did Hamas make a truce with the nation that is occupying its territory, it upheld the truce, but Israel did not, and yet somehow Hamas is to blame...how does this argument make any sense? Soapy (talk) 19:53, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
 * IP 81.131.53.3. Do you insinuating someting with "so must be based on something more deep-rooted than the facts of any recent news story" like 'everyone against israel is an antisemite jewhater nazist'? international (talk) 20:43, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Do they really mean a ceasefire?
From wikipedia: "A ceasefire (or truce) is a temporary stoppage of any armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions."

Israel did not even talk to Hamas, how can they declare a ceasefire all alone? What they are doing is more like temporarily stop shooting in the middle of the battle, claim they are in peace so that when the other side continues to shoot at them they can say Hamas is starting a new war.

The idea of "unilateral ceasefire" is absolutely ridiculous, and really disgusting as some stupid people think Hamas would break the "agreement" they never agreed to. Unicode (talk) 05:47, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Do the brains behind these operations actually take a step back and realize how stupid they are? These are full grown, adult men fighting eachother over whos fairy tale is more appropriate. Thousands of year old stories that have been given too much influential control over every aspect of our survival. If they werent so damn dumb, they would be able to shutup, stop killing eachother, and co-operate with eachother in finding the similarities and differences between their two structures of faith.

Oh crap!
It seems that the 20-day slaughterfest is over... Well, they did try harder on those last days, with those incendiary white phosphor boms... Well, now is the time to end it, because the Obama cerimony is very near. But they can't complain... Over 1000 dead in 20 days. That's a very good score, especially considering that israeli casualties were less that 20 (three civilians, 17 soldiers). Nice performance, nice slaughterfest... Who says palestinians aren't useful?

I find it laughable how people can support Hamas or say that Israel should make peace with them. Sure lot's of Palestinians died. Want to know why? Because Hamas specifically situated themselves next to people so anyone coming after them had to go through the innocents first. A very dirty tactic, and one that played out pretty well for Hamas. They basically left Israel with two options; continue to get rockets fired at them or go on the offensive and get innocent people killed. Both of them are lose/lose situations, and Hamas benifits either way. And as for the idea of peace between Hamas and Israel, Hamas's objective is to destroy Israel. That doesn't exactly instill Israelis with a great need to make peace with them. The best that anyone can hope for is non-aggression, which everyone knows can never last. So the only hope for real peace is if the Gaza residents decide to wake up and realise that having Hamas around is going to draw fire to them and put someone in power who will at least considering being reasonable.

And here's some food for thought; while plenty of Arab countries continue to cry foul over Israel's treatment of Palestians, they themselves are in no big hurry to take them in. In fact some of them seem content not to let them into their countries.--122.148.210.58 02:04, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Please read the whole page before you post, a lot of what you just said is what I just refuted above. As for the idea that it's Hamas's fault that they don't stand in the middle of a field and wait to be mowed down by the Israeli army, that's laughable, just as it was when the Germans claimed the French resistance were at fault when the nazis killed civilians all in the attempt to kill the, let me quote Nazi propaganda, "terrorists".Soapy (talk) 03:52, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Soapy how dare you compare freedom fighters like the French resistance to Hamas and their acts of terrors.--KDP3 (talk) 04:04, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Go back to during the war, before the revised propaganda that comes from the end of fighting. The situations are completely comparable. Because you may like the Israeli government and military more than the Nazi German government and military does not actually change anything; if it did then there would not be any memorial at Oradour-sur-Glane or investigations of similar incidents because to the Nazis and to the Germans whose sons were being killed by the resistance, that was simply fighting terrorism as it applied to them. 72.154.55.98 04:28, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

lol OUR WORLD IS RUN BY SUCH RETARDED, STONEAGE LEADERS. This is pathetic, a disgrace to the planet earth and all of its creatures. We actually have to schedule certain times when we wanna stop killing eachother? Instead of using them to forge weapons to beat your brothers down, why not use your thumbs for something a little more symbolic to your existence and shove them up your a**

Israel declares ceasefire?!?
AFAIK, Hamas was the one that wanted ceasefire. And now, Israel unilaterally (?!?) declares ceasefire and Hamas rockets Israel. Something isn't right here... I think Israel is the one that launches rockets from Palestina and then says that it's the Hamas rocketing Israel.

I also don't know how is it possible to unilaterally declare ceasefire - ceasefire must be billateral to be ceasefire. 193.2.145.2 11:55, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Hamas has said they want Israeli troops out of Gaza, so in their mind they're justified in firing rockets. I would also like to point out that people would be able to figure out quite easily if Israel was launching rockets at itself. Plus every single time there's been a ceasefire....Hamas has always launched rockets into Israel or failed to stop someone else from doing the same. Come on, their charter calls for the destruction (read: genocide) of Israel, does it come as a suprise that they are so insistant on carrying out their goal? --122.148.210.58 01:14, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

The picture is innapropriate
The article is fine. But, I have two problems with the picture.

1) It shows destruction in Gaza, but the article is about an Israeli cease fire and Gaza still firing rockets. If you're going to have a picture, wouldn't it make more sense to show damage caused by rockets into Israel. 2) The caption says that that a mosque and orphanage were hit. That makes it sound liek Israel was targeting mosques and orphanages or careless in where they were hitting. Was it a mistake? Was it a weapons depot below? As it stands, this doesn't have any context.

 * The article is mainly talking about how this is the end of the Israeli military's bombardment of Gaza, so I think it is appropriate to show a picture that shows what happened to Gaza during the bombardment...as for whether Israel was targeting the mosque and the orphanage, Israeli military officials say that they do in fact target mosques because they call them storehouses for rockets. And over 400 children died during the bombings, I'd say there's no reason to think the Israeli military cares what they hit.  Soapy (talk) 18:08, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

HAMAS
HAMAS IS ARROGANT AN WILL ONLY SEE INOCENT FOLK'S GET DESTROYED,THE BEST IDEA IS TO DO THE SAME THING WAS DONE TO SADDAM HUSIEN DONT HAVE MERCY ITS HARD TO SEE KIDS BEING BRUTALLY KILLED FOR NO REASON,ISREAL IS IN NO POSITION TO STAND BY FOOLISH PEOPLE FOR SURE,THIS IS NOT A FIGHT WIC WE SEE TODAY ITS A GENERATION TO THREE FLASHES,LONG ISSUE'S WHICH HAS STILL NOT BEEN SORTED OUT,WE AS POEPLE FROM OUTSIDE COULD ONLY PRAY AN HAV PEACE BROUGHT TO THE SOUL'S BEEN TAKEN OUT OF LIFE WITH OUT PERMISSION.AN HOPE THIS ARGUEMENT SOME HOW BRINGS PEACE TO ALL WHO HAVE AN IDEA TO KILL,MUST CHANGE TO SAVE LIFE TO KIDS WHO ARE DAMAGED IN EMOTION AN NEEDS .....

Turn off caps control and learn how to use sentances. --122.148.210.58 01:14, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Learn to use sentences? Pffft, what are you smoking. And 'turn off the caps'? That's just crazy talk! ;) Gopher65talk 16:54, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

even norway
Well, most of people doesn't understand the feeling of Palestinians, They lived there for almost all history, and at last the find hebrews taking over that piece of land. If norway was taking by hebrews or anybody else they'll do the same, almost all country of the world did it, so please try to see further than Israel!


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User talk:173.67.24.128

Hello there. Please don't create test articles or other articles that are not news, as we are Wikinews. If you wish to test, please use the sandbox. For more information about how to write a news article, see writing an article. Thank you. Gopher65talk 03:43, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

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

title: User talk:173.67.24.128


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Seven dead, one missing, two survive French helicopter crash off Gabon coast

January 19, 2009 Officials say that a French military helicopter with 10 French soldiers, including four crew members and six paratroopers, has crashed off the coast of Gabon in west central Africa.

The Cougar ditched shortly into the  after leaving a, about 50 kilometres off the coast. Seven French soldiers were killed, two were rescued, and one is still missing, according to a statement issued by President Nicolas Sarkozy's office.

"Today, the wreckage of the helicopter was located at a depth of 35 metres and searched. Unfortunately, we must report the deaths of five other soldiers. A final soldier remains missing. Searches are continuing," the statement explained.

According to Libreville Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Carpentier, the ill-fated helicopter crashed Saturday night at 8:08 p.m. (1908 GMT) into Atlantic waters off Nyonie, a small town located between Gabon's capital and the town of. It was taking off from the 's  cruising 50 kilometers (30 miles) off the Gabonese coast, during a joint training exercise, said Lieutenant Colonel Francois-Marie Gougeon, spokesman for the general staff.

The "set off the alert and arrived at the crash site with  rescuers who picked up the injured crew within half an hour. The sea was calm and the wind low at the time of the crash but the night was very dark," Lieutenant Gougeon explained, adding that "search operations will naturally continue all night." La Foudre, two helicopters and oil giant 's three vessels, including its and  joined the rescue effort of the salvage team.

"Divers were deployed to locate the wreckage," said Captain Christophe Prazuck, spokesman for the army general staff. "At daybreak we will deploy all our means, planes, helicopters, boats... to take part in the search," said Gabon's Interior Minister.

Meanwhile Nicolas Sarkozy directed Defence Minister  to travel to the crash site. Sarkozy had "asked that all available means in the area be immediately deployed to find the soldiers who were aboard." Morin later announced there would be two probes, a judicial one and another by the, with the assistance of French gendarmes and an air accident expert.

Minister Morin arrived in on Sunday and met with President  to discuss rescue efforts for the missing body of one of the seven soldiers. "The cause of this tragedy remains unknown. It may be natural or human, or a combination of both." Morin said. "Divers were inspecting the Cougar, which was in water 35 meters (about 115 feet) deep. We will do everything we can to find the last person missing," he added.

Morin viewed rescue efforts on La Foudre, and visited friends and relatives of the missing at Camp DeGaulle. The French soldiers were "permanent personnel in Gabon who knew the region well," said General Claude Reglat, Gabon commander of French forces. "The six others were commandos who had arrived from the French army's elite 13th Regiment of Dragon Paratroopers. We have expressed our compassion and solidarity to the families," he added. “This type of helicopter does not have a black box. So the flight was not recorded, nor were the voices in the cockpit. So some elements will remain unknown,” Claude Reglat also noted.

The January 17-21 bilateral manoeuvres called 'Operation N'Gari' involved 600 French soldiers and 120 Gabonese troops maneuvering in the military drill known as Baptise Ngeri. The soldiers were backed by Cougar and to coordinate maritime safety operations with UN peacekeepers at  airport, in the. In the joint exercise soldiers were to be parachuted onto predetermined targets including Nyonie.

Gabon, a former French colony, hosts one of four permanent French bases in Africa. Gabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. According the FFG which has around 1,000 troops in Gabon, the in Gabon (FFG)'s role is "to assure the safety of the 12,000 French residents in the country in case of threat, and carry out aid missions."


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Talk:Seven dead, one missing, two survive French helicopter crash off Gabon coast

I CREATED this copter tragedy article. Please help in publishing it. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 06:51, 18 January 2009 (UTC) Reuters said the chopper was an AS 532 Cougar.--Florentino Floro (talk) 10:55, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

7 dead now, so I did change the title
I added this minor thing - with UN peacekeepers at Bouna airport, in the Ivory Coast. --Florentino Floro (talk) 11:13, 18 January 2009 (UTC)--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:12, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

 * I added category:Nicolas Sarkozy but i'm not sure if he is mentioned enough to warrent it. I also removed Central African Republic infobox and cat as it did not seem to have anything to do with article. Bawolff ☺☻ 09:26, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Updated
I found the latest news which clarified the matter adding Xinhua dn RFI:“This type of helicopter does not have a black box. So the flight was not recorded, nor were the voices in the cockpit. So some elements will remain unknown.” joint investigation was being conducted by French gendarmes and an air accident expert. -six commandos from the French army's elite 13th Regiment of Dragon Paratroopers. -The commandos were part of the 600 French and Gabonese troops maneuvering in the military drill known as Baptise Ngeri. Thanks for the review (I just corrected the template spelling since it appeared red and placed it down to appear on front page after your sight. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 10:50, 19 January 2009 (UTC)


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MediaWiki:Common.js/User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations

/* See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations Basically converts inline ref style citations, to non-inline wikinews citations one hit button in sidebar Depends on MediaWiki:Common.css/User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations //


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MediaWiki:Common.css/User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations

/*This magically transforms 's into traditional wikinews source style

Not widely tested yet

See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations */


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations

This is an experiment at a modified system of specifying sources. Currently We have a section at end of for sources. This is quite different from how wikipedia does sources which uses superscripts (aka [1]) that link to notes section at bottom. It has been generally felt by the wikinews community that such use of inline citations in news articles is inappropriate for various reasons. Considering the length of wikinews articles, this has been fine. We don't need to have each line have specifically which source it came from beside it. However now that some wikinews articles have became larger, incorporating lots of sources [which is a good thing], it has become more difficult to check the sources of some articles. (or at least i perceive that they are. this is all imho).

This is an attempt at perhaps making things easier by using a hybrid of the wikipedia inline sourcing system and the non-inline wikinews model. Consider the following example article. (click the Toggle inline sources link in the toolbar section of the sidebar to switch to inline-source mode. Also consider the wiki-markup for the examples.)

Note: This is meant as a demo - if we were actually to adopt something like this, the template names would be shorter. When displaying in inline mode there is extra line breaks in the sources section. I don't think that is a major issue

Some article
Some statement supported by source 1. Some statement supported by source 2. Another statement supported by source 1.. Yet another statement supported by the first source (note different template in source)

Some article (v2)
This is with all the sources at the end (per Blood Red Salmon's comment - although this is not quite what he meant i think).Note the first example somewhat interferes with this one. It would work as expected if on its own page. Some statement supported by source 1. Some statement supported by source 2. Another statement supported by source 1.

Some article (v3)
This is with all the sources at the end (per Blood Red Salmon's comment - I think this is more what he meant by his comment than v2 was). Some statement supported by source 1. Some statement supported by source 2. Another statement supported by the first source.

title: User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations


text: Talk:Queensland win W-League Grand Final


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US Airways jet recovered from Hudson River

January 18, 2009 Salvage crews have dragged US Airways Flight 1549 out of the Hudson River in New York City. The Airbus A320 performed a successful emergency landing on water on Thursday after losing power shortly after departing La Guardia Airport.

The aircraft was tied up at Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City for the last two days before the overnight lift. Efforts were complicated by strong currents and freezing temperatures, but the aircraft was successfully retrieved by a large crane from its Manhattan dock.

The lift was completed slowly to allow the flooded cabin to drain as it was raised. The waterlogged cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been removed and sent to Washington.

When the plane was lifted, extensive damage to its underside was revealed. The aircraft's right engine remains attached and was retrieved with the aircraft, but the left separated. Sonar has located what is thought to be the engine on the riverbed.

The jet was landed on the Hudson by Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who is credited with saving the 155 passengers and crew on board. He testified that it was almost certainly birds ingested on both engines that brought down the jet.


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Comments:UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashes at Texas A&M, kills one, injures four

More bird terrorists!


text: Talk:US Airways jet recovered from Hudson River


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User talk:PatrickFlaherty/Archives/2009/January

Thanks and Best of Luck this 2009
User:Florentino Florotalk has given you a Wiki Dwarf red buckeye "good luck"! "Good Luck" promotes WikiLuck and hopefully this one has made your day better. Spread the WikiLuck by giving someone else a Good Luck, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past or a good friend. Happy Lunar New Year, January 26! Spread the goodness of New Year Lucks by adding this Dwarf Luck to their talk page with a friendly message.
 * Thanks so much for your kindness. I still have to learn a lot about using these tools amid my only about 45 days here. To be candid, I had only learned Word and Internet about April 2006 (in the Philippines kids under 4 years do have computer subjects, but only about 10% of Philippine lawyers and judges are computer literate). Even from my July 2007 to November 22, 2008 stint in Wikipedia English, I had a hard time comprehending the very complex (for me) Wiki tools - until now, I do not know how to re-direct and I lately learned how to archive talk pages, since no one in Wiki English had the kindness to teach me how to.
 * I need a lot more time to learn how to use these tools, since I have had no background in Information Technology. All I request from you and reviewers of my work is: be patient in reviewing my created articles amid tons of sources - I rate A+ the contents thereof, but I say my style is only B- or even C+ - (with our style guide (on dateline, grammar and spelling, "inverted pyramid" structure, tone, wikilinks, categories, headline... etc.) since I had only about 6 months stint as Judge from January 25, 1999 to July 20, 1999. I hated reviews of my drafted decisions since I did focus on contents and citations for every paragraph - claiming that I am the only Judge in the Philippines who backed up each paragraph of my decisions with jurisprudence and statutes, local and USA.
 * Thus, when I create a SYNTHESIS news article, I desire tons of sources without duplications however. Also, I spend about 2 hours browsing all Google and CNN etc news sites to look for news articles which are not only popular, notable, etc., but are so rare. This morning about 11 a.m. when I was watching CNN live here in Philippines, the one who received the Slumdog Millionaire award said - "from the heart" - I had repeated here, that I write news from my heart and this makes my works utterly different from hundreds of news articles on Google. I spend about 5 hours to have one creation to review status. So, after that I am under STRESS. Therefore, it would be burdensome for me to review other works, except if made by accredited reporters or administrators, as I will just put the review template and bingo, but I do not know if I will learn this "sight" thing. Best of Luck to you and your family/country. --Florentino Floro (talk) 06:17, 13 January 2009 (UTC)


text: User:S ried

title: User:S ried


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User talk:S ried

Babel
Please see Babel for instructions on how to implement Babel userboxes on Wikinews. Gopher65talk 21:39, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:S ried


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Talk:Chameleon snake discovered in Borneo

The word 'duristiction' is not in Merriam-Webster's website-they must need enlightening by the writer of this article.
 * ✅ — Thanks Gopher65talk 02:53, 19 January 2009 (UTC)


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User:Wobanks

Wobanks --Wobanks (talk) 01:23, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User:Wobanks


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Obama's Inaugural Celebration "We are One" attracts 400,000

January 18, 2009

At 2 P.M. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., approximately 400,000 people attended H.B.O.'s presentation of Barack Obama's inaugural kick off concert called "We are One". The concert featured many musicians including Beyonce, Stevie Wonder and U2. The show featured other high profile celebrities in between performances reading and reflecting on the significance of Barack's Inauguration on the 20th. Near the end, President-Elect Barack Obama went on the steps and gave a speech. Throughout most of the songs, several different large choirs provided back up vocals and harmony, as well as a full orchestra below the stage. The bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States was displayed several times and allowed to fly within its trainers arm range as a symbol of patriotism and pride. The entire event is expected to be funded with donations gathered by Obama's inaugural committee. On January 19, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden hosted the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Musical performers include Disney television and pop stars Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. The show was broadcast live on Disney Channel and on Radio Disney.


text: User:Theornamentalist

title: User:Theornamentalist


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User talk:Theornamentalist

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:13, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Theornamentalist


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User talk:Wobanks

Welcome
DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:13, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Wobanks


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source

See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations.

This is a template for a proposed alternate citation system. (hybrid between wikipedia and our system) This specific template replaces source, but for use inline.

Paramaters
Note If you only have the name parameter, it uses the other source with that name (like {{User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/named|name}})
 * name=the name of the source (so you could re-reference it)
 * Standard source parameters


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User talk:212.98.136.42

Thank you.--KDP3 (talk) 04:05, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:212.98.136.42


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/named

See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations.

This is a template for a proposed alternate citation system. (hybrid between wikipedia and our system). This template is if you use one source for multiple things. First time you call as {{User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source|name=some name|...rest of params}} and then second time you call as {{User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/named|some name}}.

Paramaters

 * name=the name of the source (that you previously used)

Note. You can also use {{User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source|name=some name}} (without any of the source paramaters) to do the same thing as this template.


text: Talk:US Senators push for DTV delay

title: Talk:US Senators push for DTV delay


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/start

See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations.

This is a template for a proposed alternate citation system. (hybrid between wikipedia and our system).Use this template to start using the alternate sourcing system. Be sure to add {{User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/end}}

Parameters
Note: Show/hide can be toggled from toolbar. If you have more than one section on a single page, you should probably set no-toggle=true on all but at most 1 of them.
 * show-inline=
 * set to true to start with showing the inline sources
 * Leave blank to hide (default)
 * no-toggle
 * Set to true to disable the sidebar button to Toggle inline vs no-inline sources
 * leave blank to have a button in sidebar to toggle show/hide of inline citations


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/end

See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations.

This is a template for a proposed alternate citation system. (hybrid between wikipedia and our system).Use this template to start using the alternate sourcing system. This is to end a section that uses inline sources. (began with {&#123User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/start}}

Parameters
None


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/generate

See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations.

This is a template for a proposed alternate citation system. (hybrid between wikipedia and our system).Use this template to start using the alternate sourcing system. This is to generate the list of sources at the bottom of the page from all the inline references spread throughout the page. This template is identical to saying. Feel free to use either.

Parameters
None


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/named-source

This is a named source template. Use with User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt_citations/ref. See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt_citations.
 *


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User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/ref

This is a template to reference named sources. Use with User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt_citations/named-source and User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/inline-source/start. See User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt_citations for more details.

Parameters

 * first unamed parameter, or name=
 * The name of the source we're referencing. If omitted, defaults to Sources section
 * first unamed, Second unnamed parameter, or title= (if omitted, default: ↓)

title: User:Bawolff/sandbox/alt citations/ref


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Talk:5 bodies found after Gabon helicopter crash

I suggest this article be deemed merged to: Seven dead, one missing, two survive French 'copter crash off Gabon coast, now with template review. Just sayin. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:18, 19 January 2009 (UTC)


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User talk:EttoreGreco

Hello. I deleted your article Commutalism and Comutalismo. as they not news. Wikinews is not an encyclodia We welcome news articles, however your article seemed to be more encyclopedic in nature. Perhaps you were looking for Wikipedia (please be advised that I'm not sure if your article would pass the notability guidelines over there, but at the very least it would be more inline with the project scope). Thanks for your understanding. Bawolff ☺☻ 08:43, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

p.s. We use different websites for foreign language content. This is the english wikinews (http://en.wikinews.org ) http://de.wikinews.org is the german wikinews. Similiarly http://en.wikipedia.org is english wikipedia, and http://de.wikipedia,org is german language wikipedia. Bawolff ☺☻ 08:43, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Same with Wavevolution and Wavevolution (Italiano). Remember this is Wikinews. Bawolff ☺☻ 08:55, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:EttoreGreco


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User talk:Coment~enwikinews

Please note I moved your article over to New sports car ready for production. The article needs to be edited, and have sources listed before it can be published. Please see the notice on top of New sports car ready for production for more information. (If you don't like the title, that can be changed). Thanks - Bawolff ☺☻ 08:50, 19 January 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 Coment. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Coment~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 23:13, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

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

title: User talk:Coment~enwikinews


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User talk:72.154.55.98

Thank you for fixing Israel announces ceasefire in Gaza Strip; rocket fire into Israel continues. Bawolff ☺☻ 08:51, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:72.154.55.98


text:
Comments:US Airways jet recovered from Hudson River

This looks like a publicity stunt to me, suspiciously close to Lost returning triumphantly to our screens.

Sully
What an amazing feat this was especially in the light if it's true to the film authorities tried to tell this man that not only did he have time to turn round and head for an airport but that also only one of his engines wasn't working. I hope that the people that said this are duly discusted with themselves and ashamed. This lovely obviously modest and intelligent man should never have been doubted in the first place. Ask the passengers whoes lives he saved. So un American was my first thoughts because they are usually the first to recognise great achievements and yet they tried to deny he was right. Turns out it was something to do with insurance, well there's a surprise —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 2a02:c7f:7e2f:3700:cea:f5a1:bc27:8a43 (talk • contribs) 12:47, 25 October 2020 (UTC)


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Obama succeeds Bush as 44th president of the United States

January 20, 2009

Today, the ushering in Barack H. Obama II as the new president of the United States took place at the  in Washington, D.C.. A, as well as the playing of four and "", marked the moment he assumed power from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Bush's second term as, which began on January 20, 2005, expired with the of the , Barack Obama, at noon  , under the provisions of the.

Bush performed his final official act this morning, welcoming Barack Obama and Michelle to the White House for coffee before the swearing-in, shortly before 10am EST, and then accompanied them there by motorcade to attend the ceremony. Last week, Bush had made his farewells to the nation in a televised address, saying that the inauguration turns a page in race relations. "Obama's story — his black father was from Kenya, his white mother from Kansas — represents "the enduring promise of our land," said Bush.

on Tuesday called on Obama to seek "understanding, co-operation and peace" among nations. "I offer cordial good wishes, together with the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities," the Pontiff said.

Oaths of office
The gates at the inaugural ceremony opened early, with official introductions beginning around 11:30am EST. On the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol, Senator  provided the call to order and welcoming remarks, shortly after followed by invocation by the Rev. and a musical performance by Aretha Franklin.

Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr., a, who was elected Vice President in the , took his oath of office, succeeding. Biden took his oath at 11:57am EST from.

then administered the to Obama, under. "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God," Obama swore, using the 1861 President Lincoln Inaugural Bible.

and daughters, , and  Nancy Pelosi were among the record-setting crowd of over 2 million people, including more than a million people that filled the National Mall. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in a wheelchair, having pulled a muscle in his back while moving, White House spokeswoman said.

Obama has decided to follow tradition and use his full name, including his middle name, regardless of its past and present use by detractors as an effort to slander his image. The advanced scheduled program stated that the inaugural address was to be delivered by "the President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama."

Obama's inaugural address
The President delivered his inaugural address in front of Capitol Hill with the theme "A New Birth of Freedom," commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, said Feinstein.

Obama focused on the restoration of public confidence and personal "responsibility," reassuring recession-weary Americans they can rebound from hard times. He conveyed to the world his desire to fix a battered U.S. image overseas. He asked the nation to reject the "culture of anything goes" and to restore a national value system that honors responsibility and accountability. recited a poem, followed by the benediction by Rev. . The National Anthem was thereafter played by The United States Navy Band "."

Over 200 million viewers worldwide had watched inauguration videos and live streams provided online by a number of news organizations and online video broadcasting companies over the internet. The event was also available live to select users.

After the ceremony
Following his speech, President Obama escorted former President George W. Bush at 12:53pm EST as they left for a departure ceremony. Bush lifted off, ending his 8 years as president, with Obama waving goodbye from the courtyard of the US Capitol.

At 2:35pm EST in the Capitol's, at the inaugural luncheon attended by Obama, it is reported that had a stroke. Paramedics arrived and took the senator to a hospital.

A parade extended for over two hours in the afternoon. It included 15,000 people, 240 horses, dozens of marching bands, two drum and bugle corps, and one mariachi band from,.

Just after 4pm EST, Obama and his wife joined the celebrating crowds on Pennsylvania Avenue. After a short time waving to the masses, they returned to the Presidential Limousine, a 2009 Cadillac, which transported them to the. The First Limo has replaced President Bush's Presidential Limousine that rolled out in 2004.

Mr and Mrs Obama plan to attend a total of ten official inaugural balls, including the Neighbourhood Ball, the Obama Home States (Illinois and Hawaii) Ball, the Biden Home States (Pennsylvania and Delaware) Ball and the Youth Ball. American R&B singer-songwriter has been planned to perform the first dance song. The Obamas will return to the White House, their new home, following the last ball.


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Talk:Obama succeeds Bush as 44th president of the United States

I am a Filipino, but Obama is our Living Light
I CREATED or rather anticipated to DEVELOP this article. Please help in publishing it. Cheers on Inauguration day.--Florentino Floro (talk) 10:28, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

In the Philippines
The Inauguration is live on TV at 1030 p.m. Tuesday to 2:00 a.m. Wednesday (Philippines time). Hence, I just developed this, and you may want to continue improving after the oath-taking for review. Cheers.--Florentino Floro (talk) 14:08, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Free at last!: I have a Dream: Obama-King,Jr.
Comments:Obama succeeds Bush as 44th president of the United States. This is the first time, I made a comment. It is long since I listened to King, Jr.'s full speech last night in CNN cable.
 * I had shared my very long speech and thoughts on the OBAMA miracle of lights on my birthday last Nov. 5 (Wire Forums requested me to visit the site). God bless America.--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:41, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Times
Just a note: since the parade and other events are (as of 4:42 PM EST when I write this) running something like half an hour behind schedule, it may be premature to list the times of future events - such as when he left the White house for the inaugural balls. Also, shouldn't times be given in the US format? And some of the facts are wrong - it needs expert attention. 67.234.70.214 21:46, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

 * This has been addressed. Please see if it is satisfactory. --SVTCobra 01:44, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Stumbling in oath
The duplicate article about the inauguration made a small note about stumbling while reciting the oath. I don't consider it that notable, but if anyone wants to go ahead and merge it... http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Barack_Obama_sworn_in_as_44th_President_of_the_United_States&oldid=754684 --Sigma 7 (talk) 06:40, 22 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Good suggestion. At 36 hours on, it is too late to add it now (see WN:ARCHIVE.  You were right to redirect it here.  It was newsworthy on the day, and could have been copyedited and published before this one.  But probably no longer newsworthy.

 * We only had one inauguration article, but I am glad it was a good one.

 * --InfantGorilla (talk) 10:38, 22 January 2009 (UTC)


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Australian writer Harry Nicolaides jailed for three years for insulting Thai Royal Family

January 21, 2009

Melbourne writer Harry Nicolaides, 41, was sentenced on Monday to three years imprisonment for defaming the Royal Family of Thailand. He had pled guilty to the lèse majesté indictment that arose from a self-published 2005 novel, Verisimilitude, of which only 50 copies were printed, and just seven sold. Meanwhile, yesterday, the Thai police charged a leading leftist political science professor, Dr. Giles Ji Ungpakorn, with lèse majesté.

The passage of concern, which comprised only 103 words or 12 lines, referred to a crown prince's love life. This allegedly insulted the lifestyle of H.R.H. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the only son of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.

The Royal Family of Thailand is the current ruling house of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Head of the House of the King of Thailand. It is protected by law (Lèse majesté) from insult, with the charge carrying a maximum 15-year sentence. "He has written a book that slandered the king, the crown prince of Thailand and the monarchy," the judge ruled. "He was found guilty under criminal law article 112 and the court has sentenced him to six years, but due to his confession, which is beneficial to the case, the sentence is reduced to three years," the judge explained.

Nicolaides earlier confessed to having slandered 81-year-old King Bhumibol and his son Vajiralongkorn. "I respect the King of Thailand. I was aware there were obscure laws (about the monarchy) but I didn't think they would apply to me," he tearfully said. He was arrested and detained at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 31 as he tried to leave the country on a routine trip. Nicolaides was unaware of an arrest warrant issued on March 17, since he was not officially notified of the preliminary investigation.

Nicolaides had even sent copies of the published book to the Thai Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs, the national library and the Bureau of the Royal Household, for approval. In the decision, the Thai judge clarified that Nicolaides had placed the monarchy into disrepute, even obliquely, by his "reckless choice of words". The judgment cited a passage about the novel's fictional prince which caused "dishonour" to the royals and suggested an "abuse of royal power."

The fictional passage in question goes as follows:

Nicolaides, who had worked in Thailand from 2003 to 2005 as a Chiang Rai university lecturer in hospitality and tourism, left the Bangkok court wearing a dark orange prison jumpsuit with his feet shackled. "This is an Alice-in-Wonderland experience. I really believe that I am going to wake up and all of you will be gone. I would like to apologise. This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream," said Nicolaides. He felt "dreadful," adding, "I wish my family the best."

His brother Forde Nicolaides said Harry is not appealing but will request a Thai royal pardon. "We're devastated. You might be able to hear my mother crying in the background. It's quite devastating for us. The whole case has been a massive emotional ordeal that has consumed our entire family. It's beyond belief," Forde was reported as saying.

Nicolaides' family has attributed some blame to the Rudd government for its failure to intervene in the case. Forde criticized Foreign Minister Stephen Smith: "There is a huge expectation gap between what Australian citizens think the Australian government will do when they are in trouble overseas versus what they will do."

Harry's father Socrates Nicolaides, 83, delivered an appeal letter to Mr. Rudd last week. "I said to him, as one father to another father, please Mr. Prime Minister, I plead with you to do your utmost to do everything in your power to get Harry released," Mr. Nicolaides said. His wife Despina Nicolaides, 75, collapsed when she saw the video footage of her son. "He has just written a book," she said amid tears.

Despina Nicolaides said on Wednesday she appealed to King Bhumibol for a royal pardon, but her family has not received any reply from the Thai government. "We don't know when really it will be okay for Harry to be released - they don't say anything," she said. "I'm worrying sick. I hope that they will help us too like they did the Swiss people," she added.

According to Foreign Minister Smith, an Australian consular staff in Bangkok visited Nicolaides 25 times in prison. "We understand the anxiety that is being felt by Mr. Nicolaides and his family, however, he is subject to the legal and judicial processes of Thailand," the Smith's spokesman said. Moreover, Thai laws require a waiting period of 30 days from promulgation of the sentence before Nicolaides becomes eligible to apply for a Thai King's pardon.

Smith mentioned that he had forwarded the Federal Government's letter to Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya Monday for the Australian writer's pardon. "I raised Mr. Nicolaides' case with then Thai Foreign Minister Sompong when we met at APEC in November last year," Mr. Smith added.

Independent Senator Nicholas (Nick) Xenophon has called on the Australian Federal Government to exert pressure on Thailand for the early repatriation of Nicolaides who has already served five months in jail. He has been refused bail four times. Xenophon is a South Australian barrister, anti-gambling campaigner and No Pokies, independent in the South Australian Legislative Council.

"The imprisonment has taken a heavy toll on his physical and mental health. He has lost weight, he has been continually unwell for extended periods of time and obviously psychologically he has found the experience of being in prison in Thailand very challenging," his Australian lawyer, Mark Dean SC said. "Once that sentence is passed, if it's not a suspended sentence, then an application will be made for a royal pardon and we're hoping that that will be processed as quickly as possible," he added.

Acting Premier of Victoria, Justin Hulls said he has enquired about whether Victorian Government can provide assistance to Nicolaides. Hulls' legal team applied for a Thai royal pardon. His office has also communicated with lawyers of the case and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RWB, or Reporters Sans Frontières), a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press, the sentence imposed was "a serious violation of free expression." The group has expressed concern at the use of the Lèse majesté laws to suppress political discussion and dissenting voices.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Thai police filed a lèse majesté case against Dr. Giles Ji Ungpakorn, 55, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University and Thailand's leading leftist political analyst. "The government, the prime minister, should order that they (the lese majeste laws) cease being used against people and that a whole review of the law should take place," Giles said.

The accusations against Giles stem from the publishing a 2007 anti-military coup book, 'A Coup for the Rich,' which can be downloaded free on his blog http://www.wdpress.blog.co.uk. The 144-page critique is an academic textbook dealing with the Thailand political crisis 2005-2006, the bloodless coup of September 19, 2006 which overthrew former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Professor Ungpakorn's father Puey Ungpakorn was the Bank of Thailand's governor for 12 years and also a Thammasat University dean, and whose brother Jon Ungpakorn is a former senator.

Giles was duly informed of the charges at the central Pathum Wan Police Station. He was granted 20 days to file a sworn counter-statement to the police, who will then rule on whether to file formal charges in the courts for trial. "Lèse majesté is being used to destroy free speech," said Giles who denied the charges. "The lès majesté laws are there to protect the military and to protect governments that come to power through military action. They're not really about protecting the monarchy," he added.

The Thai people believe that King Bhumibol and the Thai Royal Family are semi-divine. Accordingly, insulting the monarchy is taken extremely seriously in Thailand. Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga earlier vowed to impose tougher regulations to implement the laws. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, however, announced last week that he was trying to "strike the balance between upholding the law and allowing freedom of expression." Pirapan has reported that more than 10,000 websites have similar criminal contents.

The Thai government had already blocked about 4,000 websites, including 2,300 websites recently, for alleged violations of lèse majesté law. As of last week, more than 17 criminal cases of insulting the royal family were still pending. About 400 more websites await a court restraining order, according to Information and Communication (ICT) Minister Ranongruk Suwanchawee.

Lèse majesté cases have been filed against several people, including Chotisak On-soong, Jitra Kotchadej, Darunee Charnchoengsilpakul, Suwicha Thakhor, Sondhi Limthongkul, and social activists like Sulak Sivaraksa who were charged in the 1980s and 1990s. The King, however, has routinely granted pardons to most people jailed for lèse majesté. In March 2007, Swiss national Oliver Jufer was convicted of lèse majesté and sentenced to 10 years for spray-painting on several portraits of the king while drunk in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Jufer was pardoned by the king on April 12, 2007.

In March 2008, Police Colonel Watanasak Mungkijakarndee filed a similar case against Jakrapob Penkhair for comments made in a Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCCT) event in August 2007. In 2008 BBC south-east Asia correspondent Jonathan Head was accused of lèse majesté three times by Colonel Watanasak Mungkijakarndee. In the most recent case Watanasak filed new charges highlighting a conspiracy connecting Jonathan Head to Veera Musikapong at the FCCT.

Canberra Thai Embassy Minister counselor, Saksee Phromyothi, on Wednesday defended the country's harsh lèse majesté, saying that, "under Thailand's constitution, the king was above politics and was prevented from publicly defending himself from personal attacks." Mr. Saksee explained that "99 per cent of foreigners convicted under this law get pardoned and then we deport them."


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Talk:Australian writer Harry Nicolaides jailed for three years for insulting Thai Royal Family

I CREATED this insult to the Royal Family article. Hope he is pardoned amid the ancient law still being applied.--Florentino Floro (talk) 11:48, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Source of Giles blog--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:08, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

CLASSIC,  this passage has now been read 100,000x more times than it ever would have been if the case hadn't been brought to court. cnn was too cowardly to post it but not us.

And BIG DEAL, they have major and minor wives -- anyone who saw the King and I knew about that. And once in a while their marriages don't work out, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER MARRIAGE ON THE PLANET. Is that a secret????? This is NOT the royal family's fault BTW, this is the Thai government's issue.

Anyway, thanks to whover put this up. Great work. the wikipedia article is very breif in comparison. 71.112.130.129 17:48, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

It's magic of Wikinews collaboration

 * Thanks for your comment on my cursory perusal of world reports to dig into this - making this article a real SYNTHESIS - such that non-neutral, cheap, noisy and 'small thinking' news reports, even comming from top world news sites, miserably failed to pain a real picture of the lawsuit. Of more than 30 news that I opened and put into this, I just found ONE NEWS ARTICLE which really put the REAL THING-paragraph of INSULT.
 * Note however, that, USA and Philippines laws on marriages are different from Thai laws. Here in the Philippines, our laws and courts recognize the Philippine Muslim Personal law amid our Shariah courts in Mindanao. A Muslim is allowed to marry at 4 wives on conditions. We have to respect their culture and religion. One more thing: the King of Thailand is not just a symbolic head of state. He is revered as semi-divine and a reincarnation (I myself do not believe in these since I am Catholic, but I respect these). The Thai Royal Family cannot under the law sue to protect itself, hence, like many insulting laws, the Thai law is good and even if harsh and draconian it must stay as culture and religion should stay as OPIUM of the people, just sayin.
 * BTW, I am here in the Philippines and with all due respect, I notice that you are posting on the opposite side of the planet - Bothell, Washington - Verizon Internet Services (here in Malolos, and in Manila, Philippines, when it is 1 pm, here, it is 1 am in New York; my cousin Maria Floro is economics professor of your American University. Best of Luck!--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:04, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Don't quite understand some of what you say, but it's an awful law. The Royal family cannot sue to "protect itself"? But there's nothing lawsuit worthy in the book. There's no slander and there's not even any individual in particular named. I LOVE THIS CASE. I saw BROKEDOWN PALACE which was CENSORED in Thailand -- in that movie the girls were accused of drug smuggling. Much better would be a story about a teacher/hotel concierge who carried out his dream, writing a novel....which failed...and the Thai government sentences him to years in jail for three truthful phrases. I wonder if Thai people can see this website? 71.112.130.129 07:52, 24 January 2009 (UTC)


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Steelers, Cardinals win championship games to advance to Super Bowl XLIII

January 19, 2009

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals have won their respective conference championship games to advance to Super Bowl XLIII, the championship game of the National Football League. The game is scheduled to take place on February 1 in Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium. The Steelers were the American Football Conference champion, defeating the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 23 to 14. Meanwhile, the Cardinals became the National Football Conference champions by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 32 to 25.

AFC

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was the first rookie quarterback in the history of the NFL to help lead his team to two straight playoff victories, defeating the number 3 seeded Miami Dolphins to win the Wild Card round, and the number 1 seeded Tennessee Titans in the divisional round. They came in to the game against a number 2 seeded Steelers team that had already defeated them twice during the regular season. Early in the game the Steelers defense dominated the field, forcing him to only complete 3 out of 14 pass attempts and end the half with a lowly 9.8 quarterback rating and his team losing 13 to 7. By the beginning of the second half, snow was beginning to fall. Early in the third quarter, Flacco threw a 16 yard pass to wide receiver Derrick Mason, only to be sacked by safety Troy Polamalu for an 8-yard loss on the next play, forcing a punt for the Ravens. The Steelers were held on their next possession, forcing another punt. After the Ravens got the ball back, Flacco led the team down the field in what ended as a 58-yard touchdown drive to put the team up 16 to 14. However, near the end of the game, Flacco threw an errant pass intended for Mason that was intercepted by Polamalu and returned for a 40-yard defensive touchdown. This made the score 23 to 14, and essentially knocked the Ravens out of the game.

With 3:19 remaining in the game and the Ravens in possession of the ball for one last chance, a passing play was called. Flacco dropped back into a throwing position, and threw a short pass to running back Willis McGahee, who caught the ball and turned upfield. Going full speed up the field, Steelers safety Ryan Clark collided with McGahee, also running at full speed. The two made helmet-to-helmet-contact, knocking both players to the ground and knocking the ball out of the hands of McGahee. Ray Rice, another running back, commented "It was tough to watch. He’s like a brother to me." Clark was helped off of the field by the Steelers medical staff, but McGahee remained down on the field with movement in only his legs and arms. He told team doctors that he had significant pain in his neck, and was taken off the field on a cart and taken to a nearby hospital. It is unknown how severe the injuries are at this time.

After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a statement "I’m not going to sit here and say Joe played a certain way. Joe went out there and competed and battled and fought and tried to find a way to win the football game. So I certainly have no complaints about that." Flacco completed only 17 out of 30 pass attempts for 141 yards passing. He was also sacked 3 times and threw 3 interceptions. "I’m not blaming it on any rookie-wall stuff. I don’t believe in any of that stuff," said Flacco.

NFC

In the NFC championship, the Arizona Cardinals had not made it to a Super Bowl in the past 60 years. They were matched up against the high-powered offense of the Philadelphia Eagles, who were the number 6 seed in the NFC. The Cardinals were the number 4 seed, defeating the number 5 seeded Atlanta Falcons on Wild Card weekend, and the number 2 seeded Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional playoff round. The Cardinals were led by quarterback Kurt Warner, who became the second quarterback in NFL history to lead two different teams to a Super Bowl, the other being the St. Louis Rams. During the first half, the Cardinals quickly took the lead. By halftime, their lead was extended to 18 points in what looked like an easy win for the team. However, in the third quarter, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw three touchdown passes, two of them being to tight end Brent Celek. After kicker David Akers missed an extra point attempt after the third touchdown pass, the score was 25 to 24 in favor of the Eagles. After the Cardinals received the ball, they drove up the field. With just under 3 minutes remaining in the game, Kurt Warner completed a game-winning touchdown pass to running back Tim Hightower, making the score 32 to 25,. and sealing the game for the Cardinals.

Kurt Warner completed 21 passes out of 28 pass attempts, for a total of 279 passing yards. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught three touchdown passes of 9, 62, and 1 yard, building on his record-breaking playoff performance of 23 catches, 419 yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns over 3 games. "It really set in when I saw the confetti. I always dreamed of being in the confetti. This is beyond my wildest dreams," said Cardinals linebacker Bertrand Berry after the game. On the other side, Donovan McNabb remarked on not making it to the Super Bowl again. "You never want anything to end. It’s tough when you’re that close to making it to the Super Bowl," he commented.


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Royal Bank of Scotland shares plummet

January 19, 2009 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has lost around 70% of its share price in a matter of hours, after news reports indicated a GBP 28 billion loss for 2008, and the UK government pledged to increase its stake in the company to 70%.

The RBS shares in London opened today at 34.50, and apart from a small increase to 34.90, the shares have been below that rate throughout the day. The shares fell to just over 10, although they have since recovered very slightly to 11.60 as of 16:05 UTC.

These low share prices are only a fraction of the 52 week high of 427.50p, and the all time high of 607p. The all time high was reached approximately two years ago, in February 2007.

In addition to the falls in London, RBS shares in New York also fell dramatically on their most recent trading day. The shares fell by 10.33%.

The bank's chief executive, Stephen Hester, spoke to The Times regarding the poor performance of his company. "The world remains an uncertain place. We can all be sure there will be future significant credit losses but we can’t be sure of what amount and what timing…all banks are facing uncertainties," he said.

title: Royal Bank of Scotland shares plummet


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Conficker computer worm infections soar

January 19, 2009

New reports indicate that the proliferation of the Conficker computer worm (also known as Kido or Downadup) has nearly quadrupled in the last four days. The worm has gone from just over 2 million Microsoft Windows computers infected to 8.9 million, according to estimates by anti-virus company F-Secure. Though Microsoft issued a patch with a severity rating of "critical" in mid-October 2008, just days after Conficker was first discovered, many business computers still have not applied the patch. Most to all of the infected computers are on corporate networks; Conficker cannot spread through the Internet or e-mails. Instead, when an infected laptop connects to a corporate network, the worm searches for vulnerable computers and attempts to guess its password. Conficker also infects any network shares the user may be connected to. The worm has a list of about one hundred common passwords, including "password" and "qwerty". Conficker also infects USB sticks, which then infect any Microsoft Windows computer the stick is plugged in to.

After it gains access to the computer, Conficker adds itself to the Windows processes "services.exe", "explorer.exe" and "svchost.exe", then makes a copy of itself as a DLL file with a random five- to eight-character name. The worm also disables Windows services such as Windows Update and Windows Defender. Conficker also blocks access to most security-related sites, including Windows Update. The worm then checks several websites for the current date, then generates a domain name based on that date and downloads infected files from that domain. This domain is believed to be in Ukraine. Conficker makes itself very hard to remove by registering the downloaded files as kernel drivers and the DLL copy of itself of a service.

Microsoft has advised users to install the patch (security bulletin MS08-067), then run the latest edition of the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.

title: Conficker computer worm infections soar


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User talk:Xenon54

Anonymous101talk 16:36, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Xenon54


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User talk:Mjquinn id

Anonymous101talk 17:14, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Currently Working on
Currently working on getting up to speed on WikiNews. Interests in:
 * Tennis
 * Wine, Beer
 * Education
 * Energy
 * Computer Science
 * Idaho

title: User talk:Mjquinn id


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User talk:65.185.32.224

R .T . 17:32, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:65.185.32.224


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Talk:Conficker computer worm infections soar

Don't forget categories. --SVTCobra 20:14, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Some comments on this article:

Good work, However it still leaves some questions unanswered. It could be better if it: Bawolff ☺☻ 23:03, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Clarified what the payload of this virus. Does it do anything other than install other badness. What is the nature of the malware it installs
 * Clarified What generate domain names mean. Does it just make a long list of domain names, and chose one?
 * On that note, specify which domain name it actually connects to (the one alleged to be in Ukraine)
 * All any of the sources (and even F-Secure) said was that it downloads "the hacker's files" (as the BBC put it).
 * It makes a long list of names and chooses one. I don't know if it's the same one every time, or if there are several that redirect to the bad domain.
 * The domain name wasn't listed in any of the sources. F-Secure supposedly has found it and is monitoring it (which is why we know how many PCs are infected). The BBC lists several examples, but doesn't list the actual domain, probably to stop Mr Clumsy Clicker from infecting his PC. Xenon54 (talk) 23:28, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * ok. As another side note, Is this a virus or a worm. I think this would technically be a computer worm, not a virus, however most people think they're the same thing. Do we care about what is the technically right name, or should we use what most people refer to it as. Bawolff ☺☻ 02:21, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Reading more of the sources (specificly ), I'm not sure- but it appears it may spread over the internet, as:

 * It attacks windows network shares (thats generally not over the internet, but still over network. If your local network extends over the internet, then perhaps this is over the internet)
 * It creates a webserver on infected machines on a random port in order to propagate itself to other machines. (and then I think it sends out RPC requests using the security vulnrability in Windows RPC stuff to get victim machines to download the worm from the webserver it just created)

It also seems to have a big list of domain names it blocks access to (like anti-virus domains). And it attempts to download other various malware from a domain name generated by the current time (with current time obtained from various websites like google and the w3c). (I think anyways, its possible i misread some of this stuff) Bawolff ☺☻ 02:21, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I'll go ahead and add some of that. Thanks. Xenon54 (talk) 02:24, 20 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Conficker computer worm infections soar

Now this is why people should all be switching to Macs... R .T . 17:51, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The only reason people dont make mac viruses is because noone uses them. If we all switched to macs then so would the virus programmers.
 * Well, sure, but OS X's Unix architecture would be harder for virus writers to attack. I don't know how much more secure the NT-based Windows are these days compared to the days of 95/98, but to my knowledge there is 1 trojan out there for the Mac, which requires the user to actually install it with administrator password themselves (it masquerades itself as a video codec to achieve this). Compared to the number of malicious programs for Windows that require little more than that the computer be connected to the internet, and the number of security patches released for Windows compared to Mac, the whole "no-one writes them for Mac because no-one uses Mac" only holds so much water. Chris Mann (Say hi!|Stalk me!) 01:24, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Well it works from usb sticks as MS windows automatically executes arbitrary stuff when you insert removable media into your computer. This is a rather stupid idea (esp. for re-writable media). Operating systems which don't follow this rather stupid design system wouldn't be affected by this. Most people wouldn't randomly double click on an unknown file that magically appeared on their usb stick (or at least i hope not; never underestimate user stupidity). You can't really blame the people if the OS automatically runs the program without asking the user first. Bawolff ☺☻ 02:01, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I've read that both the x86 architecture and *all* forms of return oriented programing are inherently insecure due to fundamental flaws in their core designs, and cannot be fixed. So neither Mac OS or Linux will help in the long run, unless our outdated software programming techniques and hardware is abandoned and replaced. Gopher65talk 16:59, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Patching Is Not Enough
Not only can this virus disrupt your PC, since it can disable your ability to connect to software update sites it leaves you vulnerable to even more malware. You need to disable AutoPlay as well as patch your PC.

Security Risk
This is the time where business critical computers or everyone else should switch to Macs.
 * As stated above - if everybody switched to Macs, a whole host of viruses would be created to run on Mac. Even though OSX is more secure than the average Windows system, no software is perfect. One virus is not a good enough excuse to spend billions of dollars replacing entire company computer systems.--JTornado (talk) 17:36, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Comments from feedback form - "wow"
wow —71.113.215.184 (talk) 22:47, 2 September 2010 (UTC)


text: Talk:Royal Bank of Scotland shares plummet


text:
Comments:Royal Bank of Scotland shares plummet

A mistake in this article is that the New York stock exchange was closed on Monday Jan 19th. The 10.33% drop referred to was in fact at market close on Friday Jan 16th.
 * Thank You, you are correct. The article has been corrected. Anonymous101talk 20:33, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

On 20 Jan 09 it is worth noting that  while the shares dipped to 10p at one point and good will writedowns are huge -  the bank showed it had    £ 285 billions of reserves ....while the Market Capitalisation dipped below £ 5 billions. Yesterday the markets reopened for shorting bank shares. Yesterday RBS   showed large writedowns  but sooner or later the bad loans will be written off or parked in a bad bank. When that happens - and the bank is properly capitalised, it is not unreasonable to assume the bank can return to its  2007/8 profitablility of £10 B.  Even if i half that figure in normal times -  The Bank has to be worth 8 times Profits -  £40Billions.

Common sense tells us that RBS [ with 2 US Banks, Nat West, Royal bank of Scotland , Ulster bank , Churchill Insurance , Direct Line Insurance, ABN Ambro and £2B  profit from sale of shares in Bank of China  + £27 Billions of Cash injected by shareholders in the last 6 months ] ....is surely worth more than £5 Billions.

If however the world heads for DEPRESSION rather than  RECESSION  then all bets on that have to be off. Meanwhile it is obvious in a nervous world that the shorters are kicking at an undefended goal and pushing us to mass panic. Unless the world wants DEPRESSION the world surely can not avoid it until Shorters stop or are stopped. Borderman —Borderman (talk) 15:58, 20 January 2009 (UTC)


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User talk:84.9.228.103

Hiya.

Either you, or someone with the same IP Address as you recently pointed out an error in the article Royal Bank of Scotland shares plummet. I just thought you may like to know that the article has been corrected.

If you ever notice any other errors in future Wikinews articles, please tell us like you did today.

Thanks,

Anonymous101talk 20:36, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:84.9.228.103


text:
Comments:US Senators push for DTV delay

How is it the government's business whether people have television service or not?

I consider TV on the whole to have a negative impact on society, and I'm upset that my tax dollars are going to fund the TV industry. That money could surely be better spent, on education, saving people's lives by helping with medical treatment, etc.

 * The point of the push for the change in signal is to free large parts of the spectrum for other uses. The spectrum is a public resource so the government naturally is in charge of regulating it. That is why this is happening. The delay idea here is because people are still not adequately prepared, and there is no more money allotted to push preparedness to required levels. TV has taken the role of public addressing system for things like the emergency broadcasting severe weather and evacuations, etc. Essential services. 72.154.55.98 23:41, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

I love hearing people freaking out about this saying "Oh my God, nobody ever told me my TV won't work next month!!" and they've been running this commercial campaign for at least a year now. If people haven't received their coupons in the mail by now, they are idiots and don't even deserve them. The government doesn't wait on procrastinators.

TV Tuner
My TV Tuner card in my computer is analog, but for some dumb reason those coupons don't apply to such things :( 140.211.138.159 20:26, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

re: DTV coupons
The coupons for $40 are to help offset the cost of a converter box. When the coupons were first proposed the converters cost $40 to $60. Currently, most are being priced in the $60 to $100 range for the exact same procuct.

 * If that is true, it is called profiteering. I wonder if it is illegal: it is probably worth a call to the consumer protection desk at your State Attorney General's office.  --InfantGorilla (talk) 09:25, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

title: Comments:US Senators push for DTV delay


text:
User:Mastrchf91

Might as well make the red link blue.

title: User:Mastrchf91


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User talk:Mastrchf91

Re: Wikipedia retirement
I'll be sticking around here for a while, so I guess I havn't completely leaf the Wikimedia Foundation's projects. I'll be here a lot now, so feel free to contact me here. R .T . 00:29, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Mastrchf91


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User:Gears of War

"Every time you click "save this page," be completely convinced that what you are saving will make Wikipedia a better, more friendly, and more successful project, and if what you’ve typed won’t do that, don’t click save." User:Essjay (Wikipedia)

Praise For User:Gears of War
"-the best user I've ever met" User:Red Thunder (Wikipedia)

"-a very passionate user" User:bibliomaniac15 (Wikipedia)

"-you're awesome - and that's that" User:Jameson L. Tai (Wikipedia)

"-a spirited young editor who has overall a good command of the WP editing tools and many of the article-based guidelines" User:KieferSkunk (Wikipedia)

"-can kick some vandalism ass" User:Shapiros10 (Wikipedia)

title: User:Gears of War


text:
Talk:Jets Hire New Head Coach

Help
Hello, If your reading this I could really use some help with this.Gears of War (talk) 05:45, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:Jets Hire New Head Coach


text:
Wikinews Shorts: January 21, 2009

Obama requests halt to Guantanamo trials
One of President Barack Obama's first acts of office was to request a suspension of the military commission hearings in Guantanamo Bay, a United States base on the island of Cuba.

The legal motion, signed last night by Obama and the US Department of Defense, is due to be heard today by two judges chairing the commissions. It requests that the hearings be halted until May 20.

The military commissions were created by the Bush administration, and are similar to military trials of alleged criminals. The accused were captured outside the United States, including in Afghanistan, on suspicion of involvement in terrorist or insurgent acts. Hundreds of enemy combatants have been imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay since the detention center opened 2002.

Related news

Sources

New York Jets hire new head coach
On Monday, the New York Jets hired Raven's defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan, to be their new head coach. No further details were included in Monday's announcement. The Jets failed to make the 2008–09 playoffs in American football's National Football League (NFL).

Ravens linebacker, Bart Scott, stated "I think it's a gain for them and a loss for us, but it's well-deserved, it was a long time coming."

Coming into New York, Rex is faced with his first challenge: the future of quarterback Brett Favre. Favre has already decided to take a few weeks to decide whether or not to stay in the NFL for the upcoming season.

Related news

Sources

Two strong earthquakes strike the South Pacific
On Monday, two earthquakes of magnitude greater than 6.0 struck the South Pacific. These are the strongest earthquakes since the magnitude 7.4 quake in the North Pacific last Thursday. No damage was reported.

First, an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude struck the Kermadec Islands, about 1000 kilometres (600 miles) north east of New Zealand's North Island. The quake hit at 2.11 am local time, (1411 UTC Sunday), 95 km south of Raoul Island. Later, at 0335 UTC (2.35 pm New Caledonia time) a magnitude 6.5 quake occurred 120 km (75 miles) south east of Hunter Island in the Loyalty Islands, part of the French territory of New Caledonia. After the second quake, the United States Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying that "earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter." Both of the quakes began just 10 km below the surface.

Hunter Island (île Hunter in French) is an uninhabited island claimed by Vanuatu and France. It is about 600 km east of Nouméa, the New Caledonia capital, and 1600 km north of New Zealand. A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit 145 km west of the island only last Thursday.

The Kermadec Islands, owned by New Zealand, are largely uninhabited, apart from Department of Conservation staff and volunteers. This is the fifth earthquake of magnitude greater than 6.0 to hit the islands in four months.

Related news

 Sources

References and external links

title: Wikinews Shorts: January 21, 2009


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User talk:Gears of War

Hello, welcome to Wikinews. You seem to know what you're doing already, but I'll give you the welcome template anyways because it is shinny :) If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me or anyone else here. Cheers. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:31, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the welcome bro.Gears of War (talk) 06:32, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

I need a bit of help
[copied over from my talk, so that it triggers the new message thing and all that]

I'll be getting off for the night but I wanted to know if you could help me with some pages tommorow?(RIP Jeff)[[User:Gears of War| '''Gears''']][[User talk:Gears of War| '''of War''']] '''2''' (talk) 06:39, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't know if I'll be online tomorrow, but if I am here, I'll help however I can. Bawolff ☺☻ 06:51, 20 January 2009 (UTC) p.s. Please read w:Wikipedia:Fix your signature
 * Done and thanks. Gears  of War 2 12:49, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:Gears of War


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Comments:Obama succeeds Bush as 44th president of the United States

November 5, January 20, in history
My birthday is November 5, 1953, and on November 4, November 5, in the Philippines, I congratulate Obama ...I had been appointed Philipppines judge on my birthday, Nov. 4/5, 1998, 10 years ago, exactly, at the age of 45, the youngest judge, in the Philippines.
 * I was persecuted and charged of consulting dwarfs and more importantly of predicting the downfall of our former President Joseph Estrada on Good Friday, April 1998. He failed to finish his term at 12:25 noon January 20, 2001, as I predicted. I was suspended on July 20, 1999 and jobless ever since in pretend world. I was removed by final dwarf decision on April 7, 2006, and is jobless until now at age 56. But I found my work here as inspiration from the Black man. I PREDICT that America will see the light soon. I do not care for my country since I do not believe in nationalism. I only have faith in God: Mary and the Eucharist as center of the world which suffers so much. My country will never ever see the light since our leaders and would be leaders are marked with 666 'The Beast'.
 * I lost faith in our Philippine corrupt leaders and jurists, and Obama's "I have A Dream" inspires us ... to go on.

Here is what I wrote as requested by Wire Forums on my birthday Nov. 5
In Time: "I Have A Dream"
 * 45 years ago, on a timeless and defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement of August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., ascended the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. He said:
 * "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.
 * One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream."

The American Dream

"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Last night Jan. 19, I saw in CNN cable the entire speech of King, Jr. Free at last. Yes, in OBAMA, I see the living light, I am free at last, and I PREDICT that the disasters and accidents I write on Wikinews will befell evil - my detractors in the Philippines. Yes, I can!
 * "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring - when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" Read more--Florentino Floro (talk) 07:37, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Adiós, Dubya. --Ixfd64 (talk) 19:52, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

I saw history as it happened this morning…
I live in Texas, so I'm writing this from a Central Time perspective.

I was up at my local community college this morning. After one class ended, I went down to the lobby. They had brought in a projector, so that people could watch it happen. At 10:45, I joined a growing crowd of people at the projector. Shortly after I arrived, Rick Warren delivered the invocation. Then Aretha performed. A couple of people clapped after her performance. Then Associate Justice Stevens came to the stage. It was about 11:00. "This is it!" I exclaimed. But instead of administering Obama's oath, he administered Biden's oath. Then I remembered someone mentioning to me last night that the Vice President is sworn in first. A few people clapped, including me. Thereafter, a band performed briefly.

After all of this, Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of the office of President to Barack Obama. When he finished, all of us who were watching from my local community college burst into applause. And I clearly remember being the first person in the audience to clap. Unfortunately, I had go on to my next class before he could very far into his inaugural address. But I'll simply watch it later. I can't complain, for as it was, I had already seen history as it happened.

What only a couple of people who were watching with me knew was that I had voted for Ron Paul last spring and Bob Barr in November (and do not see myself voting for President Obama in 2012). In spite of this, I was just as happy as everyone else. What happened today reflects the way America has changed over the past four decades. That Obama has been elected shows that the vast majority of Americans have moved past thinking in terms of race. Also, as Ronald Reagan said in the beginning of his first inaugural address, it is miraculous that the change from one President to another always occurs so smoothly. This shows respect for the rule of law is a deeply rooted tradition in America. On a similar note, I decided to let today just be one of those days where we all come together and just be the Americans we all are.

71.96.128.236 22:19, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

There have been 43 people sworn into office, and 44 presidencies, due to the fact that Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the 22nd and the 24th president.

What a tragedy, the official induction of an American socialist... --96.28.58.121 06:13, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

cool
obama my love !

Suspicious
Obama is very suspicious to me. He is so damn smart that he is either a very good person or the worst ever. He can't be in between because his speeches and all appearances are far to perfect, nothing in them is normal!88.244.253.94 21:42, 26 January 2009 (UTC)


text:
Comments:Parajet Skycar expedition takes off from London to Timbuktu

Intersting
Nice, it's a long interesing article about aviation. The information about the pilot is good. fine! --Kai Burghardt (talk) 12:21, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm confused about their route -- the Rub' al Khali is in Saudi Arabia. Is it a mistake, or are they just taking a side trip? I'm also confused. The aforementioned Empty Quarter is not in the Sahara at all.Alberrosidus (talk) 21:40, 1 February 2009 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Wikinews Shorts: January 21, 2009

Deletion
I deleted Arizona Wins NFC Championship as it duplicated Steelers, Cardinals win championship games to advance to Super Bowl XLIII, contributed on Monday. --InfantGorilla (talk) 15:37, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Delete as not news?
No injuries or damage to report. Nothing happened with this, so I tagged it as notnews. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 03:58, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Agreed that no damages takes place but, it still's a news and should be thankfull to GOD that however that much big earthquake hits and no damage happened, so i think it should be reported and published. Azamishaque (talk) 08:32, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Two news websites have posted the Pacific earthquake. I think that is enough to remove the tag. Thoughts? --InfantGorilla (talk) 15:58, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Gears  of War 2 23:12, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Just because other news agencies report on it, does not necessarily mean its news. I still say because there was literally nothing to come out of this, that its not news. DragonFire1024 (Talk to the Dragon) 23:49, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * So a earth quake isnt news. Last time I checked a natural dissaster is news plus these are shorts dude. It doesnt have to be super alaberant.(excuse spelling). Gears  of War 2 02:31, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I think we can report on occurrences in the environment that didn't impact people. With objections limited to one person, I am assuming consensus and removing the  tag.  --InfantGorilla (talk) 12:03, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
 * ps at least 36 websites published the newswire http://news.google.co.uk/nwshp?ncl=1294470984&scoring=d --InfantGorilla (talk) 12:05, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Brunch
I removed the medical emergency during brunch due to the full article, US Senator Ted Kennedy collapses during inaugural luncheon. --SVTCobra 02:49, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Fact checking
For the earthquake magnitudes I chose to use the figures from the USGS site, as these were tagged as updated Jan 20, and "reviewed by a seismologist". These differ from the news and wire services numbers that were issued earlier. --InfantGorilla (talk) 14:17, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Review revision 755119
Gee, that was quick! --InfantGorilla (talk) 15:05, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Gabon helicopter crash
I removed this story due to the existence of a full article: Seven dead, one missing, two survive French helicopter crash off Gabon coast. I knew it sounded familiar. --SVTCobra 16:58, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Pardon me, I missed that. Thanks.  Sadly we know now that the missing soldier was found dead.  --InfantGorilla (talk) 20:09, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:Wikinews Shorts: January 21, 2009


text:
Irish millionaire found dead, suicide suspected

January 20, 2009 Irish property businessman Patrick Rocca has been found dead in his home. Police reports indicate that suicide is the probable cause. He was 42.

Rocca was discovered dead yesterday morning, with one shot to the head. The Irish Times has confirmed that there appears to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding this shot, and that the firearm involved has been confiscated.

Rocca was believed to have assets worth €500 million. He had worked in business for around 25 years, since he joined his family business, Rocca Tiles. His first property deal involved the purchase of two Gatwick office blocks in 2005.


text: Talk:Irish millionaire found dead, suicide suspected


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User:Rgoodermote

w:User:Rgoodermote

title: User:Rgoodermote


text:
UN chief visits Gaza, demands investigation into attacks on UN facilities

January 21, 2009 Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has demanded a full investigation into the attacks on UN schools in the Gaza Strip after personally visiting the destroyed complexes in the Strip.

"I am just appalled and not able to describe how I am feeling having seen this ... it's an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack against the UN. I have protested many times, and I protest again in the strongest terms," stated Ban during a press conference in the Strip on Tuesday. Ban also denounced the "shocking and alarming" devastation in Gaza, and also added that he believes rocket attacks from Hamas are "unnacceptable". He also said that the UN would help the Palestinians overcome the devastation which he described as, "shocking and alarming". The schools shelled by Israel, were housing refugees when they were hit with tank shells, one of the attacks killed 50 refugees. At first Israel claimed there was mortar fire from Hamas militants coming from the schools, the Israeli army later retracted those claims and says it is investigating the incidents.

A spokesman for the UN has said Ban's purpose in Gaza was to "express solidarity with Palestinian suffering". Ban also plans to visit parts of Israel struck by Hamas rockets.

Decomposing bodies continue to be pulled from the rubble in Gaza bringing death toll to 1,300, among the dead are 400 children, and 100 women. The UN says that 400,000 Palestinians are without running water, and that 100,000 people have been left homeless. The World Health Organization has warned that there is a high possibility that diseases may break out because of the number of decomposing bodies and the sewage that now runs through the streets in the Strip.

Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni said on a radio programme: "We had achievements that for a long time Israel did not have. And therefore, you also have to know when to make the decision to stop and look. If Hamas got the message that we sent so harshly, then we can stop. If Hamas tries to continue to shoot, then we will continue."

Shaul Mofaz the transport minister of Israel said, "I think Gazans understand today that it is Hamas that led them to this reality."

After a six month ceasefire agreement expired without a halt to Israel's blockade of Gaza's boundaries, Hamas escalated rocket attacks on southern Israel. On December 27, Israel began its assault on Gaza to eliminate the rocket fire. The offensive lasted more than three weeks.


text:
US Senator Ted Kennedy collapses during inaugural luncheon

January 20, 2009 According to reports, two United States Senators, Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd, suffered medical problems during a luncheon with new U.S. President Barack Obama.

Kennedy collapsed as a result of a seizure and was taken away by paramedics in a wheelchair. In May, Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer, which required an operation. Kennedy is at Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C. where his family says he is awake and talking. At the time of his collapse, he was reported to be sitting with John Kerry, another Massachusetts Senator, 2004 presidential candidate, and close friend of Kennedy.

President Obama commented on the situation during the luncheon: "And so I would be lying to you if I did not say that right now a part of me is with him, and I think that's true for all of us. This is a joyous time. But it's also a sobering time. And my prayers are with him and his family and Vicki [Kennedy's wife]."

U.S. Senator Byrd was also taken out of the luncheon after he had reported that he had trouble eating. Byrd, 91 is the oldest member of the U.S. Senate and the longest-serving Senator in the history of the body. Reports indicate that Byrd is doing well.