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Comments:Bush deploys military in the US for active duty as federal response force

= How do you feel about the deployment? Was it illegal? Is it needed? = I for one am rather scared. Paranoid? Probably. But it's suspicious. And it was obviously uneeded and illegal. --Poisonous (talk) 05:04, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

This pisses me off, Bush is just screwing over our laws like they aren't even there thank god Obama will be president soon. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.5.242.75 (talk) 05:44, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Obama is STILL sponsored by corporations. Why do you think you hear so much about John McCain and Barack Obama, but so little about (ie) Ralph Nader? Because the coprorations pick who they WANT you to hear about. Obama wont be much "better" than Bush. Sure, he'll do some things that might seem better. But it's basically corrupt anyway (that goes for all our current systems and nations). What is the BET that the "withdrawal" from Iraq will NOT be complete? There'll still be unnecesary US presence there. 58.167.3.138 —Preceding comment was added at 09:22, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm still wondering when America will crawl out of the dark ages and institute universal healthcare. The rest of the Western world manages it perfectly well, the costs are less per capita, and no scumbag who already has a few million in the bank is profiting off other people's misery.
 * In some regards the reported move by Bush is a good idea - the military will know how to manage a police action on home soil; there will be less cracked ribs and broken jaws from rednecks with a rifle butt. Yet, is this not what the national guard is supposed to be for? Surely the US' founders intended any standing army to be for the purpose of repelling invaders or dealing with enemies abroad? Why regular troops on their own soil? Are they better brainwashed, and thus more able to think of those corralled into a "free speech zone" as 'the enemy'? --Brian McNeil / talk 09:31, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Why do you claim to care what the founders thought when you're so up on socialized healthcare? Why should Bush take advice from the founders if you're not willing to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.45.189.100 (talk) 15:25, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Where does it say in the Constitution that socialized medicine is illegal? Did they even have a concept of healthcare back then? Don't think so. Did they ever imagine that a car would exist? Very doubtful. And yet with the elastic clause there are programs in place for both of those, among many other things. Get over it --66.67.187.203 23:34, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm guessing Neil is being sarcastic. Fephisto (talk) 01:27, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm not really
Scarred that Bush did this, but I am surprise as hell. But too me the Unit(s) involved are for in case of natural disaster/riots. But it did violate the Posse Comitatus Act (which is from 1878). But at least if something bad happens their is a someone that can respond, just hope it won't turn out like New Orleans.--KDP3 (talk) 05:48, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * and on a side note these is one of the few reason i love wikinews even thou it been very BIAS lately--KDP3 (talk) 05:48, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm with Naomi Wolf on this one...
She laid out ten steps used to close open societies and has said again and again what will happen, why, and how it's a mirror image of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Soviet Russia, Commie China, etc. She was very correct. Mass arrests, peaceful protesters listed as terrorists (like the nuns!), more power being given to the president, congress being overrided, troops on the ground, US as a battleground (Bush made a legal claim that the entire world is a battleground), etc, etc, etc, etc. --Poisonous (talk) 06:33, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Poisonous Bush will never would become a dictator, some journalist are just overreacting.
 * He probably wont become a dictator. But, what he is doing is still bad. Politics needs to go. The corporations are what direct them. Im not going to speculate on anything. Cant be bothered. 58.167.3.138 —Preceding comment was added at 09:26, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

You people need to realize that it is legal in every aspect. Theres something called the Insurrection Act that allows the President to employ federal forces in such a way.
 * I'm not actually familiar with the insurrection act, but based off the name I'd assume it would deal with portions of the US rebelling? Who's doing so right now to warrant the deploying of the military?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.46.8.6 (talk) 13:25, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Obama voters? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.82.179.226 (talk) 16:57, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * The insurrection act was in the 2007 National Defense Act or whatever, mentioned in the article, I believe, which was repealed as mentioned in 2008 but Bush said he was not bound by the repeal. So... --Poisonous (talk) 19:25, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Ask questions, but don't be alarmed
Whether we like to admit it or not, the world is a changing place, and so is the world of warfare. For centuries wars have mainly been waged by well-funded, professional military organizations, and that is what we've come to expect. Within the last thirty years, however, guerrilla warfare has become both a more sophisticated and less expensive option of engaging in war. t be Al Qaeda, the Tamir Tigers and Earth Liberation Front are just a few examples where inexperienced civilians who would normally be unfit for a professional military can be transformed into an effective underground or guerrilla fighting unit. The firefight has moved from literal fields of battle to villages and even urban streets. Professional militaries have to learn how to fight in these situations if the expect to defeat such enemies.

In my opinion, that is exactly what is going on with this situation, an active duty unit is being brought back home to train in a comprehensive course on dealing with these types of fights, and learning how to use the latest equipment and weapons to do it. This isn't new, armies train all the time. Our military has been regularly used to assist in domestic situations, such as Hurricane Katrina. The key is that, in the past, they have always worked in secondary support roles under the direction of state governors, local police, etc.

In my opinion, it isn't as if there's going to be some strange coup and declare of martial law tomorrow. Could it possibly happen in the future? Sure, it will probably happen under extraordinary circumstances, if it does. It is unlikely that we'll ever see roaving military units in our cities and suburbs acting as a police state, simply for the fact that it alarms and upsets too many civilians. Also, since the United States military is an all-volunteer organization, there will never be enough active military to carry out such a task. Sure, there's the draft, but most Americans do not have the stomach to carry out such military maneuvers against their fellow American, nor will you ever likely see Congress re-institute the draft in order to quell American-based insurrections.

Ask questions, demand good, solid answers, don't let government and military officals blow you off. However, don't get into a panicked state, either. By and large, there is a strong independent and democratic streak that runs through most Americans, and that includes the officials that we elect to office and the men and women who are tasked with maintaining law and order. The last thing they would ever desire or support is oppression of their friends and neighbors. Kamnet (talk) 09:09, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

These sorts of deployments of U.S. troops domestically should be limited to the absolute minimum possible. 200+ years of history has shown us that civil liberties prosper when troops are not utilized--barring active emergencies--on domestic territory in peacetime. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.211.242.80 (talk) 17:23, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

They know more than letting on
It's because they are trapped, he's about to lose his power, what happens when you take candy away from a baby? Something big is about to go down, the US government knows about it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.59.226.106 (talk) 11:17, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

It's absolutely illegal
Corporate USA governs the US now and this is an ominous development. The 'meltdown' of the economy is the prime shock situation that the big money guys use to destabilise countries even further. So far they've done it in South America, Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe. Now they're about to do it on homeground.

What happens next is that Barack Obama is elected on his progressive ticket. More companies will go bust as the present cycle is nowhere near over. There will be 'emergency measures' to 'stabilise' the situation in the country as prices rocket etc. People will be angry and scared, so they will bring in the Army to contain it's own citizens. Once people have been killed or imprisoned for being 'terrorists', the population will eventually be so scared and cowed that they'll accept this situation. All public services will vanish, food will become scarce and the big money guys will rake in more billions from the 'restructuring' that is so desperately needed to rebuild the economy. Barack Obama will be demonised.

I can see the same thing happening in the UK if the powers that be remain comatose in their present positions. I think its the last violent throes of excessive capitalism that we're seeing here; they're not going to let this opportunity go by. The main difference is that the US and Europe (the last frontier) are in stronger positions to defend themselves because of the strong democratic traditions that exist. The next few years will be a test of how strong those traditions really are.

-birgitte. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Birgitte (talk • contribs) 11:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Posse Commitatus No Longer Exists
There is no question of legality here because Bush's Unitary Executive philosophy claims that no law applies to the Office of the President.

Bush indemnified himself by decree via a signing statement attached to House Resolution 4986, section 1068 on 28 January 2008 which would have repealed the Executive Branch's unlimited power to use military force anywhere at any time for any reason as mandated in the Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007. Bush's claim to exemption was that such restrictions would "...inhibit the ability of the President to execute the authority of the Commander In Chief."

In effect, Posse Commitatus has been repealed by the Executive Branch because it has determined that the President needs to conscript the Armed Forces of the United States for his own protection. Illegal for everyone else BUT the Unitary Executive.

All of this information is available on-line for anyone interested enough in protecting their way of life, but "Dancing With The Stars" and "Joe Six Pack Hockey Mom" blather gets higher ratings on television.

Why do you think the Chinese restrict Internet use? Mark my words: Bush's Federal Communications Commission chairman will shortly be out of a job as his Justice Department gauleiters begin to eliminate access to public records and news organizations. It's only a matter of time.

And you all voted for him - twice.

Adlai Stevenson said it best (paraphrasing): "All too often in a Democracy, the people get the government they deserve." —Preceding unsigned comment added by Anakai (talk • contribs) 14:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Well, at least...
It was only training at this point and not actual combat. But why do we need these deployments, this is the National Guard's job, always has been and always will. Yes, it's part of the US military, but it's been the Guard's job to repsond to natural disasters and really, really serious crowd control. --TUFKAAP (talk) 15:06, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

The Question is...
Will the next administration (McCain or Obama) undo this? McCain most likely won't, and I'm unsure about Obama. 147.26.202.142 15:52, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

this is illegal, another reason to hang bush —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.104.253.190 (talk) 16:40, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

These sorts of deployments of U.S. troops domestically should be limited to the absolute minimum possible. 200+ years of history has shown us that civil liberties prosper when troops are not utilized--barring active emergencies--on domestic territory in peacetime.

'''

Why I Believe CCMRF Is Needed
I do believe this action is legal, to the point the CCMRF is used for riots that domestic law enforcement is not able to control themselves, and terrorism. I do believe this action will be frowned upon those critical of the Bush Administration and people who would view this as a pure rejection of the Posse Act. This action President Bush has taken is needed do to the fact that terrorism is always on the rise and the way the economy is moving. If this Recession turns into a Depression then riots will occur, crime rights will rise to unseen highs as people steal and murder each other just to feed there families. I believe CCMRF will be needed. Hopefully they will never be needed but would you want to take the chance that they might be needed near you. --Locke (talk) 01:06, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

 * (I fixed your formatting as it was unreadable, sorry) I disagree. First, it will violate Posse Comitatus if CCMRF is used for what you suggest, not really any way to get around that. However, you're forgetting that each state has it's own military, basically, via the National Guard. His private army is not needed. And how exactly does keeping a military in the streets illegally fight terrorism? And even if it does, is it worth a direct violation of our Constitution? --Poisonous (talk) 01:43, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

martial law —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.168.247.210 (talk) 03:22, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Screw Bush
Martial law anyone? Watch Star Wars 1-3 to see what happens after this is enabled. McCain/Palin is just more of the same crap. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.168.247.210 (talk) 03:27, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
 * You think Obama can save us? "Master Anakin, thank goodness you're here!" A bit populist perhaps? 216.160.156.195 05:22, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Somehow I think it depends on what 50% or more of their base thinks about the matter... --204.81.230.186 13:53, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Posse Comitatus was already suspended, behind closed doors
On March 13th, 2008, Congress met for a secret session, we assume to be briefed on new information regarding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is designed to monitor terrorists, foreign enemies of the state within America. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) passionately excused himself from this meeting on three grounds: 1) that the rules of the House which permit such a secret meeting are an offense to the spirit of the First Amendment, which by asking members to swear secrecy, they were in effect making a law upon its own body to limit free speech, and thus members must 'check their conscience at the door' 2) that there was no citable precendent for debate on a bill on a floor within such a secret meeting, which was suggested would occur and 3) that his previous experience with such meetings (there have been I believe six) were that they were occasions for Congress to be deceived without any accountability. Thus the House was given a security sweep, and C-SPAN replayed clips of Kucinich and showed shots of the Capitol lit in darkness for an hour.  FISA is a wiretapping law also concerned with electronic correspondence, by the way.

Soon thereafter, verifiably as late as May, but arguably the next day, a leak emerged, unverifiable as to original Congressional source, from questionable sources such as WorldNewsNet at the most reputable. This leak is not notable for its sourcing but its prescience. It predicted the "imminent collapse" of the US economy September/October 2008 (depending on the source) as well as the collapse of government finances in February or late 2008 (also depending on where you heard it) as well as civil war, the employment of REX 84 camps, the necessary merger with Canada and Mexico and the economy reborn under the Amero.

Basically a period of suspension of posse comitatus. Martial law.

During the Republican National Convention, numerous verifiable primary video sources captured startling and brutal scenes depicting everything from the deployment of tear gas on peaceful crowds, herding them in fear from one police line to the next, the targeted detention of members of the press, and outright brutality. This is a matter of record, you can see it on YouTube any time you care to. Someone cynical might suppose from the peaceful footage of protesters captured by Gnooze.com that some of the more mainstream reports of violent rioting may have arguably been a result of agents saboteurs to assist the police in creating a subtext for suppressing a public uprising, which the protests did represent in numbers but obviously not in intent. They dragged the producer of Democracy Now! by the face. Complete brutality, and excused under the pretext of a 'National security situation.'

During the final debates over the economic emergency and the 700, strike that, 810 billion bailout, which by the way were refuted as a true emergency by over one hundred economists, the words "martial law" came out explicitly on the floor. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) said members were threatened with it; Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) said the Speaker told him they were indeed already under martial law. Mainstream news sources declared this was figurative. So why then are our soldiers coming home in a seeming violation of posse comitatus? It's all evidently legal under current contingencies. Perhaps there's a perfectly rational explanation. Congress could release the minutes of the March 13th meeting; the President could even say, "We're not under martial law (yet)." If he can say in jest he prefers a dictatorship if he's the dictator, he could say something as hilarious as this. But currently there's no reason to say anything. If it doesn't make the Drudge report, it isn't news. 216.160.156.195 05:30, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

You all are all overreacting
Bush is not going establish himself as a dictator, Martial law is not going to be put in place. So semi down.--KDP3 (talk) 10:41, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

/\_____ What he said. This is troops training for an emergency situation, not nazis training to kill nosiy civilians. If worse comes to worse and open warfare breaks out in the US, which is entirely possible, the military needs to be equipped to deal with it. Most people probably dont know the vast difference in fighting styles between domestic police forces and the miltary. Put an Army sniper and a police sharpshooter in the same room, and youll find they they have totally different skills despite both using a sniper rifle. Even their rifles are greatly different.

They are training, not going on a rampage through cities...--MasterRyu (talk) 11:00, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Didn't we create a National Guard for this occasion? Re-deploy it from Iraq/Iran and use it here.

Simple, Easy, like Hot Pockets.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Axostech (talk • contribs) 15:17, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Let the soldiers trained for combat take care of combat, let the soldiers trained for civilian support activities do that. Whatever that involves now, since many of the latter have been sent to boost the numbers of the former, recall them. 66.20.174.46 19:25, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

The 'deployment' is [Italic text[provisional]]. Obviously someone believes it is needed. I don't know why. It is illegal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dabrijo (talk • contribs) 01:59, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Bush continues to give himself all sorts of new powers and now he's using them, what ever happened to that whole balance of power checks and balances thing? This is bad news and it makes me wonder what "national crisis" might come up and give Bush an excuse to unleash the military against civilians... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.124.19.114 (talk) 03:27, 14 October 2008 (UTC) God Forbid the President of the USA have his troops redeploy, for real it like you guys want Bush to turn into a dictator.--66.229.17.181 10:35, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

These forces are being deployed to "maintain law and order" when the Republicans once again take power in the White House after massive illegalities during the upcoming election.

Republican coup!
These forces are being deployed to "maintain law and order" when the Republicans once again take power in the White House after massive illegalities during the upcoming election. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.19.39.157 (talk) 11:08, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Prelude to stealing the election
Imagine this: Obama wins the popular vote, but another 2000 Florida happens in a swing state. The conservative supreme court once again installs conservative McCain as president but this time there is civil unrest. The troops are called out to "restore order" and never leave. 198.203.177.177 18:00, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Before or after Obama has ACORN steal the election? --66.229.17.181 02:03, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

1984 Here we come!
This is a very dangerous action and is just one more step down the road toward Totalitarian government like the old Soviet Union. If the Administration was allowed to do all that it wanted to, that's just what we'd have now. And, the more important question is; can we expect anything different in a McCain administration? 07:28, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Validity of CCMDF
The CCMDF is illegal according to the Posse Comatitus Act, and unneccessary according to U.S.C 501.3(c) which speaks of an unorganized milita, which is every male (depending on the state, females are included) who from (roughly, again state decides) 16-45 years old, one is expected to equip and train themselves.

We the People, should -technically- be called up by local police, to serve as back-up for things like drunk driving check-points, and parking tickets, if required; this frees up forces for the heavier stuff that professional trained personnel can handle. 2008-11-01 T21:51 Z-7 76.170.112.170 04:51, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


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User:Ionman

-Ionman- - I love politics - I'm very interested in History and Current events - I don't belong to a political party but I am Conservative

- I wouldn't vote for either canidate in the US presidential election

Random Trivia - I frequently use the following terms as insults: - Democrat - Liberal - And a whole bunch of Your Mom jokes. - I like cheese. -Ionman

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

title: User:Ionman


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Fernando Alonso wins 2008 Japanese Grand Prix

October 12, 2008

Renault driver Fernando Alonso won the FIA 2008 Formula One Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix on the Fuji Speedway at Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka, Japan.

This became the second in a row victory for the Spaniard since the previously won Singapore Grand Prix.

Although Alonso started only fourth, after two McLaren-Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen with Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari third on the grid, he raced second behind Robert Kubica from BMW Sauber after the leaders missed the first corner.

The first shortened pit stop and the following sprint of Alonso allowed him to make a comfort gap in front of Kubica, who finished second.

Alonso's teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr. also performed well, finishing fourth from the 12th place on the starting grid. The Renault rookie driver even tried to push on Kimi's third on the dying laps of the race.

Jarno Trulli gained two positions from the starting place for Toyota finishing fifth, while his teammate Timo Glock retired from the race after 6 laps.

Both Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers, Bourdais and Vettel, finished higher on 6th and 7th place.

Felipe Massa was penalized by a drive-through penalty for causing a collision with Hamilton. Still he was able to run up and overtake Mark Webber's Red Bull. His Ferrari finally closed the top eight. He was promoted to 7th after Bourdais was given a 25-second penalty for colliding with Massa.

In the Drivers's standings, Lewis Hamilton retains his lead losing two points to Felipe Massa and is five points ahead of him. Robert Kubica came much closer to Lewis, now only 12 points behind. Alonso is on a distant 7th in the provisional standings. Earlier Alonso said that he "remained realistic as it will be difficult to race the Ferraris and McLarens, but we will give our maximum to score as many points as possible because the fight for fourth in the Championship remains very close." Ferrari is now seven points ahead of McLaren and fourteen over BMW Sauber in the Constructors' Championship.


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User:Iuio/Created articles

Here is a list of the articles I have created. The first 4 articles on the list were created by me using unregisted user accounts until I decided to sign up for a registed account on Wikinews. Any spelling changes or redirects done to the article since it was created will be reflected here.

title: User:Iuio/Created articles


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User talk:Samuel Wiki

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

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here are some pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! --Brian McNeil / talk 07:29, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
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title: User talk:Samuel Wiki


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Talk:Fernando Alonso wins 2008 Japanese Grand Prix

Review
--Brian McNeil / talk 08:24, 12 October 2008 (UTC)


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User:Sateros

Sateros Lair

title: User:Sateros


text: User talk:Sateros

title: User talk:Sateros


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Template:New Hampshire

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Customize this infobox .

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User talk:82.38.112.204

Welcome
Welcome!

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

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here a few pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews:
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
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 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
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 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
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Here are some other hints and tips:

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

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If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! --Brian McNeil / talk 09:39, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:82.38.112.204


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Zanu-PF attempts to reassign Zimbabwean ministries, MDC angered

October 12, 2008 Zanu-PF, which until recently had complete control over all Zimbabwean cabinet posts, has reassigned control of these in a process separate from the power sharing negotiations which are taking place. This move seems aimed at giving Zanu-PF, the party lead by Robert Mugabe, control of the most important government ministries. The move will not be official, however, until approved in the power sharing negotiations.

The move was announced yesterday in The Herald, a newspaper run by Zanu-PF, and was criticized heavily from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which is led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

"The MDC dismisses the Zanu PF's unilaterally gazetted wish list of ministries, which is a betrayal of the wishes, expectations and aspirations of the majority of Zimbabweans," said the MDC in a press release. "The Herald-published list of ministries is a product of unilateral, contemptuous and outrageous machinations by Zanu PF. In fact, it is a giant act of madness which puts the whole deal into jeopardy. Zanu PF cannot nocturnally allocate ministries barely hours after the three principals agreed to disagree by referring the matter to the mediator after a logjam over all key ministries."

"Zanu PF's ploy is to preempt the visit of the mediator and any attempt by SADC to try and help Zimbabweans locate exit points to the current impasse," added the press release.


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Florida officials investigating controversial MMA fight

October 12, 2008

Boxing regulators in the state of Florida have started a preliminary investigation into allegations of corruption and fight fixing after fighter  defeated  in the main event of the  on Saturday, October 4, 2008.

Petruzelli, who was scheduled to fight on an untelevised undercard match, was approached by  officials to take on Ferguson, who fights under the nickname Kimbo Slice. Slice's announced opponent, legendary mixed martial arts and professional wrestling veteran, was declared medically ineligible to fight after injuring himself during a Saturday morning workout session, requiring stitches to be applied to a cut over his eye. News of the injury and substitution was not made until after started broadcasting the show.

The show had been heavily promoted over the last two months on Shamrock's reputation and the credibility of his name, along with the media buzz around Kimbo Slice. CBS Sports was expecting to cash in with a huge ratings success after securing a record-setting 4.85 million viewers on their inaugural broadcast of EliteXC, the highest ratings ever for a MMA broadcast. Fourteen seconds into the main event, however, Petruzelli scored an upset win over Slice. Petruzelli hit Slice with a right cross to Slice's jaw that sent the phenom staggering backwards. Petruzelli moved in, as Slice was not defending himself, and finished off his opponent with a flurry of punches. The referee stopped the fight a few seconds later.

The controversy started the next morning after Petruzelli was interviewed on the "" radio show on 104.1 in Orlando, FL and simulcast on  channel. In the 18-minute interview, Petruzelli made the statement, "The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him. They didn't want me to take him down, let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him."

It was inferred through this statement that an EliteXC official approached Petruzelli and attempted to influence the outcome of the fight. Slice, whose fight strategy is largely based on punching power, had been training to face Shamrock, another noted strike artist. Petruzelli, on the other hand, has a much stronger ground offensive. Critics during the fight noted that if Petruzelli could force Slice to the mat that it would be a humiliating upset, but if Slice could maintain control through his striking it would be an easy win.

With the statement from Petruzelli about being paid to stand up and fight on Slice's skill level, allegations of tampering with the fight began to arise within hours. EliteXC's Jeremy Lappin, Director of Fight Operations, responded to 's inquiries, saying "Press reports that EliteXC suggested or paid money to heavyweight fighter Seth Petruzelli to keep his fight against Kimbo Slice off the ground are false. Let me be perfectly clear with no ambiguity – that did not happen." Lappin stated that they offered him a "Knockout of the Night" bonus if he could score a win by KO. Bonuses such as "Knockout of the Night", "Submission of the Night" and "Match of the Night" are often offered to fighters who can deliver entertaining and crowd-pleasing performances. Lappin also stated, "Elite XC organizes and promotes fights. We have not, do not, and will not suggest or dictate fighters' strategies or tactics. How the fighters perform in the cage is at the sole discretion of the athletes involved."

Petruzelli also started making immediate amends the next day, blaming himself for misrepresenting his intentions. In a blitz of media interviews in an effort to retracts his statement, he said, "Honestly, when I woke up in the morning my words were jumbled and obviously my head was in a daze from drinking (laughs) the entire night. Reading the transcript, I actually now feel I worded it perfectly in what I wanted to say. I wanted to keep the fight standing and they offered a knockout bonus and I wanted to get the knockout bonus."

Florida officials from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) did not appear to be interested in performing an investigation. In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, DBPR press secretary Alexis Antonacci said, "Our interpretation is that the comments made were in reference to the promoter asking [Petruzelli] to join a fight that he wasn’t originally scheduled for. We don’t believe any wrongdoing occurred." The DBPR regulates all business and professional licenses in the state, including promotion of sports such as boxing, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.

After being hounded by the media and fight critics all week long, the DPBR announced on Thursday that they would start a preliminary investigation. Communications director Jennifer Meale made a statement to the press. "While the Department of Business and Professional Regulation doesn't have any reason to believe there was a problem with the Slice-Petruzelli fight, given the interest in it, the Department has begun a preliminary investigation to thoroughly review the circumstances of the fight." Pro Elite, Inc, the parent company of EliteXC, has struggled over the last year. The company is over $50 million in debt, with $24.4 million of that debt accrued in the first half of 2008. Trailing behind industry leader Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), EliteXC has rallied behind Kimbo Slice to drive up ratings on their specials with CBS Sports and Showtime Networks, attendance at live events and other merchandise sales. The October 4 broadcast drew in 4.56 million viewers, making it the third most-watched viewed event in MMA history to go along with its record-setting May 31 debut of 4.85 million viewers. Both events featured Kimbo Slice in the main event.

The corruption issue could go deeper than just fixing a fight for the company's star fighter. Further fueling the allegations are the actions of EliteXC's president, Jared Shaw. Immediately after the fight was stopped, Shaw rushed to the side of the cage and yelled to the referee that Slice was hit illegally.

"He spent a lot of money to build up Kimbo," Seth Petruzelli said. "If I saw one of my guys I spent millions on getting his face pounded I’d get upset also." Shaw later apologized for his actions, calling them improper.

EliteXC's Lappin told ESPN, "We were not trying to protect Kimbo. He had been training to fight a guy in Shamrock who has a better ground game than Seth. If we were trying to protect Kimbo we would have sent him home. We put him in a dangerous fight." , MMA color analyst for CBS Sports, and brother of Ken Shamrock, feels that EliteXC is looking out for Slice's best interests. "As for Pro Elite, are they looking after their baby? I hope so. Are they conspiring to ensure he wins? I don't think so."


text: Talk:Zanu-PF attempts to reassign Zimbabwean ministries, MDC angered


text:
Talk:Florida officials investigating controversial MMA fight

Petruzelli... submission artist?
"Petruzelli, on the other hand, has a noted reputation of being a ground specialist, scoring wins by submissions."

He has no wins by submission. A majority of them are (T)KOs and he has a couple decision wins. 63.3.13.129 02:22, 13 October 2008 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Chinese restaurant closed in Toronto after rat photos published

Since, "[i]nspectors have closed 41 restaurants in Toronto this year, 6 of which have been in the same area as Happy Seven. Of the restaurants in the same area, half have been for rat problems." Why was this Chinese restaurant singled out? For those people who just skim the articles, it gives them a bad impression of the Chinese (none of the sources have Chinese is it's title). Even when rat is a common problem. I also question the newsworthiness of the story. Why should someone outside Toronto care of a rat problem of a local restaurant? 70.68.13.216 —Preceding comment was added at 01:03, 13 October 2008 (UTC)


text:
User talk:Anakai

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

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here are some pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! Cirt (talk) 01:53, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
 * Cite sources - everything in a Wikinews article must be sourced
 * Introduction - overview of the site
 * Writing an article - how to write and publish a complete article
 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
 * Style guide - how articles should look before publishing
 * Reviewing articles - how articles pass through editorial review
 * Contents - the contents page.
 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
 * The front page lead articles often need updating
 * Developing stories need finishing and publishing
 * Discussions need your input
 * Audio Wikinews could always use more contributors
 * And of course, stories need writing!

title: User talk:Anakai


text:
User talk:208.104.253.190

Please remember that in order for something to be "illegal" there first must either be a specific ordinance in existence, codified by either governmental procedure or standing historical precedent that makes the act or process in question subject to legal scrutiny; and second, the governing body in place must recognize the law as being valid and as equally applicable under all circumstances as the imperfect human condition allows.

The philosophy to which Bush in particular and the Republican Party more generally ascribes in their application of Federal governance (at least beginning with McCarthy leading up to Nixon in modern times) may be objectionable; it may be in more specific cases immoral; and in the broadest possible sense might almost be considered treasonous in nature when taken in the context of what the authors of the Constitution had in mind when they drafted the document. It is not, however, specifically illegal because no codified legislation, precedent or context currently exists that provides for legal recourse against a person's "opinion". And therein lies the rub: thanks to the rampant ineptness that has characterized this administration for 8 years, there is simply far too much damage control to accomplish to give proper focus on this question.

In the sense that Bush fabricated the Department of Justice to apply the veneer of jurisprudence for the sake of outward appearances while surreptitiously packing the system through cronyism and political intimidation, he was very clever to select people who were aware of this imperfection in the structure of Federal Law. Doubtless there will be some who do not regard this as a "bug" but instead a "feature" of the Constitution that ostensibly allows for changing times and circumstances. The problem with this thinking, however, is that when people lose the original vision of why this particular government and its philosophy of law was instituted to begin with- for the provision of common defense from foreign and domestic enemies, securing liberty and the right to worship, think and believe in anything one chooses within the auspices of one's community; to provide support for the weakest among us while empowering the strongest to succeed, and protecting our common good from predatory behavior - it then becomes a simple matter for complacency to infiltrate the people while opportunists use every weakness to their advantage. Left in the wake is a confused and rudderless population, vulnerable to every predatory whim that comes their way and unable to place trust in anything or anyone.

Will Obama do anything about this should he become President? He certainly will have the legal authority to rescind any Executive Order, signing statement or Directive he deems out of line or contrary to his philosophy of governance. Given all the rhetoric of late, it's been somewhat lost in the noise that Obama has studied the Constitution on a graduate level, and the man has to be keenly aware of both the subtleties and the consequences of swimming in the kind of murky legal waters that have filled Bush's ocean of incompetence. We will simply have to wait and hope for the best.

title: User talk:208.104.253.190


text:
Template:Late edit

Hi ,

I really appreciate your edit here but unfortunately I had to revert it per Wikinews' archiving policy as the edit was made over 24 hours after the publication of the article.

Don't worry, this is an easy mistake to make, as other projects like Wikipedia do not have this policy.

Thanks for taking the time to edit Wikinews,

Usage:. Note: No space between }} and ~

Only paste on the talk page of newish users who will not know about this rule.

title: Template:Late edit


text:
Canadian scientists protest Harper's attacks on science

October 13, 2008

Citing actions taken by the Conservative government, 85 scientists across Canada have signed an open letter to all national party leaders calling on them to state how they will 'improve Canada’s track record' regarding the objectivity of science. This is the second such initiative within the week, the letter on 7 October being signed by 120 scientists.

The scientists signing the latest letter represent hundreds of researchers such as Deans, Department Heads, Research Chairs, and research team leaders. They come from academic fields of Anthropology, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Biology, Community Health and Epidemiology, Criminology, Earth & Ocean Sciences, Educational Psychology, Environmental & Engineering Sciences, Land Resource Science, Medicine, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics, Psychiatry, Social Work, and Sociology.

climate researcher John Smol lamented the need for scientists to protest in a public forum. "I think scientists tend to be conservative when it comes to voicing their opinions. But as far as the environment is concerned, the problem is so bad and the consequences are so terrible if we do not act," he told CBC News.

The was cited for actions across the academic spectrum, from nuclear safety to human health to climate science. A repeated charge is misrepresentation and/or suppression of scientific finds, as well as acting to prevent the dissemination of research, to silence scientists.

Within the government's own the Conservatives have been accused of muzzling the department, even interfering with the release of one researcher's science fiction novel. The novel, entitled "Hotter than Hell", deals with a not-too-distant future strongly affected by global warming. Then-Environmental Minister ordered the scientist not to attend talks to promote his novel where his job title was given.

“It’s absolutely what’s going on here in science in Canada,” said environmental scientist Andrew Weaver in an interview with . Weaver, lead author on three Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and the recently published "Keeping Our Cool: Canada in a Warming World", was not surprised when references to the UN's IPCC reports were removed from Canadian government websites. He wrote in his book about new rules the Harper government put in place, requiring journalist questions for Environment Canada scientists be submitted in writing, and responses must first be presented to media-relations staff for editing and approval.

Vancouver's Safe Injections Site project,, a program designed to provide intravenous drug users with a medically-supervised location, is an internationally recognized model of successful harm-reduction public health policy, supported by both provincial and municipal governments. The national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, engaged in a campaign to undermine the project according to documents discovered in a query, including financing politically-motivated research.

The conservative government has been antagonistic to the program since coming to power, and though losing its case at every level of courts has appealed the ruling which struck down portions of  as unconstitutional. The judge gave the government one year to pass replacement legislation which addresses the of addicts to health care which may save their life.

Conservative Health Minister has questioned the ethics of physicians who support the harm-reduction model of Insite. "Is it ethical for health-care professionals to support the administration of drugs that are of unknown substance, or purity or potency — drugs that cannot otherwise be legally prescribed?" he said at the annual meeting.

"The minister was off base in calling into question the ethics of physicians involved in harm reduction," CMA president Brian Day responded. "It's clear that this was being used as a political issue." More than 80% of physicians support the model, he said.


text:
Talk:Canadian scientists protest Harper's attacks on science

Needs citation
Second to last paragraph, Government appealing to Supreme Court, losing at lower courts. (have to run errands whie stores are still open, back soonish.) -  Amgine | t 21:40, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Edit
editprotected

"The Harper government] was cited for actions" has a loose bracket. Heavy Water (talk) 02:30, 28 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Done. [24Cr][talk] 22:32, 28 June 2023 (UTC)


text:
Wikinews interviews Mike Lebowitz, Chairman of the Modern Whig Party

October 13, 2008

In the United States, there are two major political parties; the Republican and the Democratic. However, there are several other minor - commonly referred to as "third" - parties. One of these is the Modern Whig Party, which has been steadily increasing in popularity over recent months.

Last week, Wikinews reporter Joseph Ford was able to speak with MWP Chairman Mike Lebowitz about how his party was formed, what it stands for, and why you should consider joining. The interview can be read below.

Interview
Wikinews (Joseph Ford): What does The Modern Whig Party stand for?

 * Chairman Lebowitz: The Modern Whig Party is unique in that it minimizes traditional ideology and instead stands for common sense solutions and rational thought. In fact, this grassroots movement is a non-fringe, mainstream effort designed to cater to those individuals who find themselves cherry-picking between traditional Republican ideals and also traditional Democratic ideals. The fact remains that most people agree with various aspects of both major parties, but one or two issues or reasons ultimately compels them to identify with a specific political party. The Modern Whig Party offers a home for these independent-minded individuals. The general platform of the Modern Whig Party relates to fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and bold social progression.

'''Joseph Ford: How old is your party? How many members does it currently have?'''

 * Chairman Lebowitz: The age of the party depends on how one views our organization. The "Whig" name has been associated with American history and tradition since the early 19th Century. The old Whig Party was mainstream and middle-of-the-road during its time. It are those general aspects of rational thinking and common sense that we adopt in terms of the old Whig Party. But at the same time, we do stress that we are the "Modern" Whig Party. We recognize that we live in a different time. In that regard, the Modern Whig Party basic infrastructure was organized in 2007, and ultimately went public in April 2008.

 * Currently, the Modern Whig Party has well over 10,000 members. We realize this is a modest number in the grand scheme of things, but considering how quickly we have inspired these members to sign on offers evidence that this movement has a chance to catch on and grow. The Modern Whig Party was originally founded by Iraq/Afghanistan veterans as a veterans' advocacy organization and our growth has occurred with minimal funding and can be regarded as a truly grassroots effort. It also is important to note that roughly 6,500 of these members are affiliated with the military. Our membership expanded so quickly based almost exclusively on word-of-mouth through the military ranks. Instead of trying to attract people to our Web site, we decided to come to them. What happened was that military members would send emails to their friends, who in turn would forward these emails to others. These emails described our movement and provided a means of merely contacting the national party, providing some basic information and ultimately becoming a member. Word of mouth among the military eventually caught the Pentagon's attention due to the fact that the military is supposed to be apolitical, and the Modern Whig Party was ultimately featured in the Military Times newspapers. We have since expanded with members coming from all walks of life -- military and non-military alike.

Joseph Ford: How does The Modern Whig Party differ from America's major political parties (Republican, Democratic, Constitution, Green, Libertarian)

 * Chairman Lebowitz: The Modern Whig Party differs from the other political parties because our members come from across the political spectrum. Our common sense approach has found a way to reconcile actual common ground among individuals from all political stripes. The Modern Whig Party strives to remain mainstream and practical. Unlike other parties, we don't expect our members to agree with everything, and in fact encourage them to remain independent minded. In a way, the Modern Whig Party is different in that it is designed to provide a palatable home to independents and those who want to be independent. Another element to look at is the diversity of our members. Our state leaders include retired Vietnam veterans, Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, attorneys, college students, a retired CEO, a prominent rock musician, a golf professional, teachers and many others.

 * What we have found is that even though someone is socially liberal, they also may be very conservative when it comes to other issues. Same for our conservative members. This goes back to our theory that most people find themselves cherry-picking between issues of both major parties, but ultimately end up on one side of the fence. In the end, we offer a realistic and mainstream home for those who want to pick and choose from various ideals and solutions from across the political spectrum.

Joseph Ford: Currently, are there any elected officials in the United States that are members of The Modern Whig Party?

 * Chairman Lebowitz: By design, we have held off on running or endorsing candidates this year. The established third parties are essentially marginalized because they consistently trot out candidates just to lose. Our goal is to avoid such traps as we attempt to build a mainstream and practical organization that in time will be strong and credible enough to actually be a force in politics and our communities.

 * Our plan from the beginning is to operate methodically and gradually. The Modern Whig Party leadership is comprised of people who are not deluded into thinking that we are somehow entitled to members. We also are not deluded into thinking that the majority of voters are ready to take that plunge and actually vote for a third party, let alone a group called the "Whigs." We understand the reality, and perhaps that is our biggest asset. As we grow, our name will slowly filter back into the mainstream mentality. Our longterm strategy is nuanced but includes initially running a few candidates who are members of the Modern Whig Party but will initially run on the Democratic and Republican tickets. The plan is to run a few candidates on state and local ballots in 2009 and then support three candidates for Congress in 2010. If our members can win a few during this time, while at the same time our membership ranks continue to rise, we will have accomplished a winning track record from which to really make our move. We believe that we need to be innovative in order to succeed as we know the odds are stacked against us. But nothing ever came out of doing nothing.

'''Joseph Ford: Today, more Americans than ever before are disgusted with the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties. Many of these people are looking into joining another party. Why should they consider The Modern Whig Party?'''

 * Chairman Lebowitz: We have found that many Americans are frustrated with the established political parties because these organizations have moved to such ideological extremes that these groups no longer truly represent the majority of Americans. This means that people tend to either fit somewhere in the middle or they find themselves picking and choosing their stance on issues from all points of the political spectrum. In this regard, I should point out that not all of our members would classify themselves as moderate or centrist. The Modern Whig Party has members who are conservative and we also have many members who are liberal. I think it is a testament to our organization that people from all over the political spectrum can find common ground under the Modern Whig movement.

 * To this end, the Modern Whig Party offers a political home that actually encourages independent thought while also adopting rational, mainstream and common-sense solutions that takes all points of view into account. Are we deluded into thinking that we will become a major political force overnight? No. But what we offer is the fastest growing political movement in the country with a realistic plan to succeed based on mainstream and common-sense ideals.


text:
User:Matrix8110

Pages I've Edited: WWE wrestler John Cena undergoes neck surgery after injury

title: User:Matrix8110


text:
Talk:Wikinews interviews Mike Lebowitz, Chairman of the Modern Whig Party

A complete email transcript of the interview can be read below:

Subject:  RE: re: Wikinews Interview From: "Mike Lebowitz"  (Add as Preferred Sender) Date: Thu, Oct 09, 2008 7:43 am To:

Joseph,

Thanks again for your interest in covering the Modern Whig Party. Below are my responses. Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions or need clarification, etc.

Mike

Q: What does The Modern Whig Party stand for? The Modern Whig Party is unique in that it minimizes traditional ideology and instead stands for common sense solutions and rational thought. In fact, this grassroots movement is a non-fringe, mainstream effort designed to cater to those individuals who find themselves cherry-picking between traditional Republican ideals and also traditional Democratic ideals. The fact remains that most people agree with various aspects of both major parties, but one or two issues or reasons ultimately compels them to identify with a specific political party. The Modern Whig Party offers a home for these independent-minded individuals. The general platform of the Modern Whig Party relates to fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and bold social progression.

Q: How old is your party? How many members does it currently have?

The age of the party depends on how one views our organization. The "Whig" name has been associated with American history and tradition since the early 19th Century. The old Whig Party was mainstream and middle-of-the-road during its time. It are those general aspects of rational thinking and common sense that we adopt in terms of the old Whig Party. But at the same time, we do stress that we are the "Modern" Whig Party. We recognize that we live in a different time. In that regard, the Modern Whig Party basic infrastructure was organized in 2007, and ultimately went public in April 2008.

Currently, the Modern Whig Party has well over 10,000 members. We realize this is a modest number in the grand scheme of things, but considering how quickly we have inspired these members to sign on offers evidence that this movement has a chance to catch on and grow. The Modern Whig Party was originally founded by Iraq/Afghanistan veterans as a veterans' advocacy organization and our growth has occurred with minimal funding and can be regarded as a truly grassroots effort. It also is important to note that roughly 6,500 of these members are affiliated with the military. Our membership expanded so quickly based almost exclusively on word-of-mouth through the military ranks. Instead of trying to attract people to our Web site, we decided to come to them. What happened was that military members would send emails to their friends, who in turn would forward these emails to others. These emails described our movement and provided a means of merely contacting the national party, providing some basic information and ultimately becoming a member. Word of mouth among the military eventually caught the Pentagon's attention due to the fact that the military is supposed to be apolitical, and the Modern Whig Party was ultimately featured in the Military Times newspapers. We have since expanded with members coming from all walks of life -- military and non-military alike. Q: How does The Modern Whig Party differ from America's major political parties (Republican, Democratic, Constitution, Green, Libertarian)?

The Modern Whig Party differs from the other political parties because our members come from across the political spectrum. Our common sense approach has found a way to reconcile actual common ground among individuals from all political stripes. The Modern Whig Party strives to remain mainstream and practical. Unlike other parties, we don't expect our members to agree with everything, and in fact encourage them to remain independent minded. In a way, the Modern Whig Party is different in that it is designed to provide a palatable home to independents and those who want to be independent. Another element to look at is the diversity of our members. Our state leaders include retired Vietnam veterans, Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, attorneys, college students, a retired CEO, a prominent rock musician, a golf professional, teachers and many others.

What we have found is that even though someone is socially liberal, they also may be very conservative when it comes to other issues. Same for our conservative members. This goes back to our theory that most people find themselves cherry-picking between issues of both major parties, but ultimately end up on one side of the fence. In the end, we offer a realistic and mainstream home for those who want to pick and choose from various ideals and solutions from across the political spectrum. Q: Currently, are there any elected officials in the United States that are members of The Modern Whig Party?

By design, we have held off on running or endorsing candidates this year. The established third parties are essentially marginalized because they consistently trot out candidates just to lose. Our goal is to avoid such traps as we attempt to build a mainstream and practical organization that in time will be strong and credible enough to actually be a force in politics and our communities.

Our plan from the beginning is to operate methodically and gradually. The Modern Whig Party leadership is comprised of people who are not deluded into thinking that we are somehow entitled to members. We also are not deluded into thinking that the majority of voters are ready to take that plunge and actually vote for a third party, let alone a group called the "Whigs." We understand the reality, and perhaps that is our biggest asset. As we grow, our name will slowly filter back into the mainstream mentality. Our longterm strategy is nuanced but includes initially running a few candidates who are members of the Modern Whig Party but will initially run on the Democratic and Republican tickets. The plan is to run a few candidates on state and local ballots in 2009 and then support three candidates for Congress in 2010. If our members can win a few during this time, while at the same time our membership ranks continue to rise, we will have accomplished a winning track record from which to really make our move. We believe that we need to be innovative in order to succeed as we know the odds are stacked against us. But nothing ever came out of doing nothing.

Q: Today, more Americans than ever before are disgusted with the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties. Many of these people are looking into joining another party. Why should they consider The Modern Whig Party?

We have found that many Americans are frustrated with the established political parties because these organizations have moved to such ideological extremes that these groups no longer truly represent the majority of Americans. This means that people tend to either fit somewhere in the middle or they find themselves picking and choosing their stance on issues from all points of the political spectrum. In this regard, I should point out that not all of our members would classify themselves as moderate or centrist. The Modern Whig Party has members who are conservative and we also have many members who are liberal. I think it is a testament to our organization that people from all over the political spectrum can find common ground under the Modern Whig movement.

To this end, the Modern Whig Party offers a political home that actually encourages independent thought while also adopting rational, mainstream and common-sense solutions that takes all points of view into account. Are we deluded into thinking that we will become a major political force overnight? No. But what we offer is the fastest growing political movement in the country with a realistic plan to succeed based on mainstream and common-sense ideals.

From: joseph.ford@wikinewsie.org Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 9:03 PM To: chairman@modernwhig.org Subject: RE: [SPAM] re: Wikinews Interview

Mr. Lebowitz, here are the questions. Please send them back to me as quickly as possible to ensure that the interview will be published by the weekend. Q: What does The Modern Whig Party stand for? Q: How old is your party? How many members does it currently have? Q: How does The Modern Whig Party differ from America's major political parties (Republican, Democratic, Constitution, Green, Libertarian)? Q: Currently, are there any elected officials in the United States that are members of The Modern Whig Party? Q: Today, more Americans than ever before are disgusted with the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties. Many of these people are looking into joining another party. Why should they consider The Modern Whig Party? Thanks again for your time. Original Message Subject: [SPAM] re: Wikinews Interview From: "Mike Lebowitz" modernwhig.org> Date: Wed, October 08, 2008 3:02 pm To: wikinewsie.org>

Joseph,

I would be happy to respond to your email questions. Please send them over at your convenience and let me know what your deadline is. Thanks for your interest.

Best regards,

Mike

Mike Lebowitz National Chairman

The Modern Whig Party http://www.modernwhig.org

From: joseph.ford@wikinewsie.org Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 5:45 PM To: chairman@modernwhig.org Subject: Wikinews Interview

Mr. Liebowitz, I'm Joseph Ford, an accredited reporter for Wikinews, Wikipedia's news arm. If you haven't been interviewed yet, I'd be happy to do one with you. It would have to be via email, sorry if this is an inconvenience. Just tell me when you want the list of questions to be sent over. Thanks for your time, Joseph Ford, Accredited Reporter, Wikinews

"why you should consider joining"
Is it just me or is the statement of "why you should consider joining" in the introduction a gross violation of WN:NPOV? --SVTCobra 00:52, 15 October 2008 (UTC)


text: File:2008 Canadian Scientist's open letter.pdf


text:
User talk:Birgitte

Birgite you bring up good points, but I do not think this is illegal. The action that has been taken will probably be needed. If the economy collapses then you are right riots will occur and food will be in short supply. On the other hand I do think "The big money guys will rake in billions". Such companies will not exist for long in an economically collapsed America. The reasons are that no one will be able to afford the products made by which ever companies that would survive an economic collapse. Thus, instead of lowering prices to a price range America can afford, they will look abroad. There they would probably find (unless the world economy collapsed as well) countries like China are filled with middle class citizens ready to buy there products. So there probably will not be "Big Money Guys" in America. Also your point that people will be imprisoned or killed as "terrorists" by the military, could be possible but not likely. Some will, but the government will not be able to keep up with such a crime rate. Nor will it look good across the world or at home. That is all thank you for reading this comment. Respond if you would ever feel the urge to. --Locke (talk) 01:39, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Birgitte


title: File:13October2008.pdf


text:
Comments:Canadian scientists protest Harper's attacks on science

"If Canada had proportional representation like in many EU countries then yes they would have the right, but Canada has an outdated system that doesn't allow the most popular party to rule properly."

No because the conservatives did not win with a majority.... Having only 30 something percent support means that the majority of canadians do not support the conservatives —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.86.104.228 (talk) 08:23, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

They should have far less right to impress their ideologies upon science, than upon religion. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.229.182.73 (talk) 14:29, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

No. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.70.149.164 (talk) 15:09, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

PR won't help
Proportional Representation won't solve the problems with representation. The power will remain with the most populated provinces (ie Quebec and Ontario), while the Western and Maritime provinces will remain under-represented. It's ridiculous how we slash politicians for speaking their minds, granted they should do it in a respectable manner, but everytime they speak to their beliefs the public is in an uproar. If we don't like what our politicians are saying, we get to not vote for them. Hooray democracy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.68.155.24 (talk) 01:33, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Three sources out of seven are deadlinks
The Globe&Mail and two of the three sources from CBC are not available for me. Ottawahitech (talk) 15:20, 1 April 2023 (UTC)

 * Well, the article is like 15 years old. SVTCobra 15:56, 1 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Archive URLs can be found for those:, and . Heavy Water (talk) 16:41, 1 April 2023 (UTC)
 * @Heavy Water: Thanks so much for finding the deadlinks still alive on the Internet Archive. I read all three with interest. Makes one wonder why the CBC, which is a tax-funded organization, does not value keeping their fourteen-year-old articles online. Ottawahitech (talk) 15:31, 3 April 2023 (UTC)
 * No problem. Heavy Water (talk) 15:32, 3 April 2023 (UTC)
 * @SVTCobra; True those are old references, but...
 * I found this article almost useless until I could view the sources. In general it was my understanding that Wikinews makes special efforts to make sources available to its reader audiences. For example isn't staying away from paywalled sources that are preventing public access to information a stated goal of Wikinews? Ottawahitech (talk) 15:57, 3 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Presumably, they were freely available at the time of publication and for quite some time after that. What we do now to combat the fact that publishers don't keep their pages online forever, is to use web archives. In most recent articles, you will see an archiveurl parameter in the source template. So the sources should be available as long as those archiving sites remain active. I would venture to guess you will encounter this in almost all older articles. I am not aware of any solution to fix the old articles. I am actually surprised at how many of the sources for this particular article are still available. Another issue is that more and more sites have moved their content behind paywalls where once it was free or ad supported. SVTCobra 17:10, 3 April 2023 (UTC)
 * @SVTCobra: I see enwp has a bot to handle dead links. See for example: w:Talk:Harlan Crow. Wouldn't it be nice to have such a bot here? Ottawahitech (talk) 16:20, 6 April 2023 (UTC)
 * The same bot is active here, including on archived articles. Heavy Water (talk) 16:23, 6 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Does the bot have to be invoked or does it just operate on its own? I noticed it did make some minor mistakes on Finland becomes member of NATO. Cheers, SVTCobra 16:49, 6 April 2023 (UTC)


text:
Thailand protest cancelled at last minute

October 13, 2008 Last night saw police in Thailand holding a closed-doors meeting to discuss their planned response to the People's Alliance for Democracy's (PAD) planned demonstration. In reports from the Thai News Agency late in the day, the PAD had given assurances that the protest would be peaceful. Yet, this morning the protest has been postponed. According to the Bangkok Post this is to permit the PAD leaders to attend the cremation ceremonies of the two protesters who were killed in clashes with police on October 7.

Last Tuesday's clashes between protesters and police saw the two fatalities along with over 400 injured. Fifteen of those hurt during the protest remain in hospital - seven of these are said to be in a critical condition, including one man at Ramathibodi Hospital who lost his right arm. An investigation into the incident is being carried out by a sub-committee appointed by Thailand's Human Rights Commission; police were set to demonstrate the firing of tear gas to the committee on Sunday afternoon, this being an attempt to counter allegations levelled at police by the PAD that other explosive devices were employed.

In preparation for the planned rally, police had sought reinforcements, bringing the total number of officers stationed around their headquarters to over one thousand. Entrances to the building had been sealed amid reports that pro-government protesters were due to arrive in Bangkok.


text:
Wikinews:Briefs/October 13, 2008

= Audio Wikinews Brief for October 13, 2008 =

Transcript
From Wikinews, the free news source, this is the Audio Wikinews Brief for Monday, October 13, 2008. I'm Kevin Fields, and here are today's current stories.

Zanu-PF attempts to reassign Zimbabwean ministries, MDC angered
In Zimbabwe the Zanu-PF, which until recently had complete control over all Zimbabwean cabinet posts, has reassigned control of these in a process separate from the power sharing negotiations which are taking place. This move seems aimed at giving Zanu-PF, the party lead by Robert Mugabe, control of the most important government ministries. The move will not be official, however, until approved in the power sharing negotiations. The move was an nounced yesterday in The Herald, a newspaper run by Zanu-PF, and was criticized heavily from the Movement for Democratic Change, which is led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

Bush deploys military in the US for active duty as federal response force
US President Bush deployed the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team to a new role on United States soil last Wednesday, training for dealing with national crises. Critics claim that act of the Executive Branch violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits military participation in domestic matters. The unit will be renamed the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced 'sea-smurf'). CCMRF has been assigned for year-long duty and is currently training at Fort Stewart, Georgia to prepare them for "civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios" such as security or natural disasters. The CCMRF team is scheduled to redeploy to Afghanistan in 2010, with a new team then coming back to the United States for similar training. The action has raised concerns for some citizens like journalist Naomi Wolf, an author critical of the Bush administration, who referred to the deployment as a 'coup' in a well-circulated viral video and issued Americans a call to action. Seattle reporter Amy Goodman has also been critical of the actions.

Florida officials investigating controversial MMA fight
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has started a preliminary investigation into allegations of corruption and fight fixing after mixed martial arts fighter Seth Petruzelli defeated Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson in the main event of the EliteXC: Heat pay-per-view  on Saturday, October 4, 2008. The investigation is based on comments Petruzelli made during a radio interview earlier in the week. EliteXC officials deny any wrongdoing. Petruzelli defeated Ferguson fourteen seconds into the first round of the main event fight, taking the fight on just two hours notice after Ferguson's original opponent, legendary fighter Ken Shamrock, was medically disqualified due to a cut on his forehead. Petruzelli made comments on to a Florida radio station the next day that suggested he was approached by an official with the EliteXC promotion and told he would be paid more if he attempted to fight in a manner which made his opponent look strong. EliteXC officials have strongly denied this claim, and Petruzelli himself has since backtracked on this statement  and insisted he was misunderstood. The Florida DBPR doesn't feel any wrongdoing has taken place, but is bowing to public pressure from critics and media sources.

Fernando Alonso wins 2008 Japanese Grand Prix
Renault driver Fernando Alonso won the FIA 2008 Formula One Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix on the Fuji Speedway at Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka, Japan. This became the second victory in a row for the Spaniard since the previously won Singapore Grand Prix. Although Alonso started only fourth, after two McLaren-Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen with Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari third on the grid, he raced second behind Robert Kubica from BMW Sauber after the leaders missed the first corner. In the Drivers's standings, Lewis Hamilton retains his lead losing two points to Felipe Massa and is five points ahead of him. Robert Kubica came much closer to Lewis, now only 12 points behind. Alonso is on a distant 7th in the provisional standings. Earlier Alonso said that he "remained realistic as it will be difficult to race the Ferraris and McLarens, but we will give our maximum to score as many points as possible because the fight for fourth in the Championship remains very close." Ferrari is now seven points ahead of McLaren and fourteen over BMW Sauber in the Constructors' Championship.

Conclusion
This has been an Audio Wikinews Brief and is freely available for copy under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license at http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/. Catch the latest breaking news on Wikinews at Wikinews.org.

title: Wikinews:Briefs/October 13, 2008


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Cook Islands rugby league player Adam Watene dies after training session age 31

October 13, 2008

Cook Islands and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats rugby league player Adam Watene has died. The Wildcats announced the death of the 31-year-old earlier today. They reported he collapsed in the gym shortly after a training session.

A spokesman said, "The Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are sad to announce the sudden passing of Adam Watene. The circumstances surrounding Adam’s death were sudden and unexpected. Everyone at the Wildcats' thoughts are with Adam’s family, and we ask for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time."

Watene started his rugby league with the Castleford Tigers and was later signed by the Bradford Bulls. After a year of playing for the bulls of which he only made five first team appearances, he was allowed to sign for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. He played a total of 28 games in the two seasons he was with the club.

The Wildcats also said "There will be no further comment from the club at this stage." Watene is survived by his wife and two children.


text: Talk:Thailand protest cancelled at last minute


title: File:Libertarian-logo250-over.gif


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Global markets surge in value

October 13, 2008

Markets worldwide have surged in value following efforts by governments to ease the effect of the ongoing financial crisis, which has recently caused a massive decline in the value of stock markets.

On Sunday, the fifteen countries from the Eurogroup – that is, those countries which use the euro as official currency – had agreed on a joint plan to face the crisis, which would consist in supporting financial institutions and by guaranteeing interbank loans.

The Eurogroup meeting was the last of many which took place during the weekend. The G7 nations had met in Washington at the same time that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank held their Autumn meetings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average index is one of the indexes that have done particularly well today, and it closed up 11.08%, well over 9,000 points. General Motors was the best performer in this index, with its value rising by 31.49%. The Nasdaq rose by 11.81%.

The FTSE 100 has today gone up in value by 8,26%, to take the index back over the four thousand mark. TUI Travel was the best performing company in this index. It went up by 41.25 points (21.48%), to take it to a new share price of 233.25. Some shares in the FTSE, however, have continued to fall dramatically. HBOS today dropped in value by 31.48%.

The Brazilian Bovespa index today went up by 14,66%, while the Hang Seng and Singapore Straits Times went up by 10.24% and 6.57% respectively.

Stocks exchanges in Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Toronto were closed due to national holidays.

title: Global markets surge in value


text: Talk:Global markets surge in value

title: Talk:Global markets surge in value


text: Template:Steady

title: Template:Steady


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Category:Formatting templates

Templates needed for accurate formatting.

fa:رده:الگوهای قالب‌بندی

title: Category:Formatting templates


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User talk:Reconstyles

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 17:30, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Reconstyles


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User talk:Normiad

Hello I am Normiad I am new here

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

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here are some pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! Anonymous101talk 18:21, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
 * Cite sources - everything in a Wikinews article must be sourced
 * Introduction - overview of the site
 * Writing an article - how to write and publish a complete article
 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
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 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
 * The front page lead articles often need updating
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 * Discussions need your input
 * Audio Wikinews could always use more contributors
 * And of course, stories need writing!

title: User talk:Normiad


text:
Template:Pedia

For linking to Wikipedia without the annoying floaty boxes.

title: Template:Pedia


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User:Anonymous101/Content

User:E

Random links that I need
 * Special:OldReviewedPages - Do any pages need sighting
 * Special:UnreviewedPages - Check to see if page complies with policy then sight if appropriate, and archive (following guidelines) if not yet done

Template sighting:
 * Special:UnreviewedPages for templates
 * Special:OldReviewedPages for templates

title: User:Anonymous101/Content


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User:Dvdrtrgn

dvdrtrgn

title: User:Dvdrtrgn


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Wildfires rage north of Los Angeles

October 13, 2008 Two large wildfires burn uncontrolled north of Los Angeles, California. The blazes, known as the Marek fires, have burned over 3700 acres and caused the evacuation of more than 1200 people. Furthermore, at least 30 mobile homes were destroyed.

One confirmed fatality has been reported and described as an unidentified transient who had been using a cardboard shelter beneath a freeway overpass. However, the Associated Press reports a second related death from a traffic accident.

Authorities expect to order more evacuations before the fires can be brought under control.

Fires started Sunday due to Santa Ana wind conditions in the San Fernando Valley and Angeles National Forest on the northern outskirts of Los Angeles. Affected communities include Porter Ranch and the Lopez Canyon area.

Santa Ana winds as strong as 65 miles per hour fanned the flames, which jumped the eight-lane 210 Freeway. Both the 210 Freeway and 118 Freeway were closed during Monday morning rush hour. Firefighters have contained smaller blazes that occurred elsewhere in Southern California near the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita and in neighbouring Ventura County.

Local resident Glenn Bell told Reuters about his last minute evacuation. "The sparks were flying down on us," he said, recalling how a locked gate nearly trapped him and his family, "and as I'm busting the gate... I see the cypress trees that are right next to our house on fire."

Los Angeles County fire inspector Frank Garrido described the problem as "a blowtorch we can’t get in front of," according to The New York Times. "Wind is king here, it’s dictating everything we are doing," he continued.

Scott Stephens of the Center for Fire Research & Outreach at the University of California, Berkeley calls Southern California's Santa Ana winds "some of the strongest, most severe fire winds in the world."

Among the problems caused by Santa Ana winds, which blow from the nearby Mojave Desert toward the Pacific Ocean, is a tendency for hot embers to leapfrog and start new fires. Santa Ana conditions tend to occur from autumn through spring and can reach peak speeds of 70 miles per hour (113 kilometers per hour).

title: Wildfires rage north of Los Angeles


text:
Comments:Global markets surge in value

This is temporary, it's so obvious. The worst is yet to come.

Temporary
This is very temporary. Collapse is built into the monetary system and is inevitable. 58.167.3.138 —Preceding comment was added at 08:54, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Why is that 'obvious' and 'inevitable'? Because you're a Marxist and want it to fail?
 * Could be the other end of the spectrum, perhaps s/he is an Austrian? Fephisto (talk) 01:25, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

title: Comments:Global markets surge in value


text: Talk:Wildfires rage north of Los Angeles


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User talk:Locke~enwikinews

Hello I am Locke. I am sure you have noticed this since you are viewing my talk page. I am Independent and I choose for my self what I think is right. Most of the time though I sit on the right as I grew up with Republican parents. I do on some things agree with democrats. I encourage any one who has a problem with my ideas to leave me a message and I will take into account what you have said. --Locke (talk) 00:11, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Responded on my talk page
--Poisonous (talk) 06:24, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

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

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Locke. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Locke~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 23:20, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 06:33, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Locke~enwikinews


text:
User talk:210.11.188.17

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

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

title: User talk:210.11.188.17


text:
Template talk:Audio box 2

There is a formatting problem with this template. Please see Template talk:Audio box. Thanks, --SVTCobra 00:57, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * The same fix will probably work. --SVTCobra 01:12, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Yes_check.svg|16px]] Done — Yes, it worked. Had to screw with the size to get it right though. Gopher65talk 20:44, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Mark purely decorative image
Could we perhaps use a blank |link= parameter to stop screenreaders from needlessly reading "loudspeaker.svg" when it comes across this template? Den dodge  T\C (en.wp) 19:05, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

 * In this case I would disagree it is purely decorative. A loudspeaker is commonly used to denote audio content, so people coming to the article that may not read the 'listen to this...' bit will often notice the loudspeaker. Can yu explain what the problem with dispalying it is, because I seem to be missing something here. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 21:06, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

 * The problem comes when the blind attempt to use a screenreader to read this site aloud to them. It currently reads it as "loudspeaker.svg Listen to this...", while simply "Listen to this..." would work fine. (Of course, there's not much need for a screenreader on a page using this template, but some people have them always turned on, or use them to find templates like these). Den dodge  T\C (en.wp) 17:18, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

 * To be blunt, that's a problem with the screenreader. It should know what an image is. Anyways, per my reasons above this serves a clear purpose so marking this as ❌. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 21:21, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I am not suggesting that we remove the image, but that we add |link= to the image syntax to make the site slightly more accessible. Enwp has been doing this for ages, and I think we should too. The link is not required for attribution purposes, as the image is in the public domain. Den dodge  T\C (en.wp) 15:19, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

 * Like this? I don't know how that helps but if it does, then fair enough. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 22:18, 30 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, that's right. If no caption or alt text is defined, the screenreader reads the title element of the image's link (to its documentation page). The |link= prevents that from happening. Den dodge  T\C (en.wp) 16:09, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

Colour
Is there any consensus for the colour of this template? The yellow is rather garish, and I think a pastel shade (preferable blue, but yellow works too) would look better. Den dodge  T\C (en.wp) 19:05, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I personally don't think that the current colour is all that bad, although I wouldn't object to changing it to a softer tone (maybe a dark blue/grey mixture would look nicer?). Tempodivalse [talk]  17:53, 1 October 2009 (UTC)
 * How about:

 * ? I think it looks a lot nicer. Den dodge  T\C (en.wp) 12:39, 3 October 2009 (UTC)

Doesn't allow audio to play
flag The purpose of this template is to play audio which it currently doesn't do. It is used on many published articles. Acagastya says it has something to do with  versus   or somesuch. Remove flag when fixed. Cheers, --SVTCobra 16:32, 6 September 2020 (UTC)
 * It seems to be working fine now. Heavy Water (talk) 02:32, 23 January 2023 (UTC)

Edit request
editprotected change  to   --Minorax (talk) 12:35, 6 April 2021 (UTC)
 * done. •–• 13:01, 6 April 2021 (UTC)

title: Template talk:Audio box 2


text:
User:TFBCT1

Hello, eveyone. My name is Tom. I hail from the great State of Connecticut in the United States. My interests are numerous and varied; I have expertise in matters of Mathematics, certain Sciences, and Linguistics. Obviously, I speak English. I fare pretty well in Spanish as well. I'm not too fond of profiles, but I suppose they are necessary. I certainly will not make mine elaborate or ostentatious- that's just not me. And finally, I am facinated by Wikpedia and all of its many potentials. :) I'm being a bit lazy in that I have copied this directly from my Wikipedia account. TFBCT1 (talk) 01:21, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

title: User:TFBCT1


text: Talk:Cook Islands rugby league player Adam Watene dies after training session age 31


title: File:14October2008.pdf


text:
Chula Vista, California becomes model for blight control laws in the US

October 14, 2008 The San Diego, California suburb of Chula Vista has responded to the recent housing crisis with an aggressive blight control ordinance that compels lenders to maintain the appearance of vacant homes. As foreclosures increase both locally and throughout the United States, the one year old ordinance has become a model for other cities overwhelmed by the problem of abandoned homes that decay into neighborhood eyesores.

Chula Vista city code enforcement manager Doug Leeper told the San Diego Union Tribune that over 300 jurisdictions have contacted his office during the past year with inquiries about the city's tough local ordinance. Coral Springs, Florida, and California towns Stockton, Santee, Riverside County, and Murietta have all modeled recently enacted anti-blight measures after Chula Vista's. On Wednesday, 8 October, the Escondido City Council also voted to tighten local measures making lenders more accountable for maintenance of empty homes.

Under the Chula Vista ordinance lenders become legally responsible for upkeep as soon as a notice of mortgage default gets filed on a vacant dwelling, before actual ownership of the dwelling returns to the lender. Leeper regards that as "the cutting-edge part of our ordinance". Chula Vista also requires prompt registration of vacant homes and applies stiff fines as high as US$1000 per day for failure to maintain a property. Since foreclosed properties are subject to frequent resale between mortgage brokers, city officials enforce the fines by sending notices to every name on title documents and placing a lien on the property, which prevents further resale until outstanding fines have been paid. In the year since the ordinance went into effect the city has applied $850,000 in fines and penalties, of which it has collected $200,000 to date. The city has collected an additional $77,000 in registration fees on vacant homes.

Jolie Houston, an attorney in San Jose, believes "Lenders will respond when it costs them less to maintain the property than to ignore local agency requirements." Traditionally, local governments have resorted to addressing blight problems on abandoned properties with public funds, mowing overgrown lawns and performing other vital functions, then seeking repayment afterward. Chula Vista has moved that responsibility to an upfront obligation upon lenders.

As one of the fastest growing cities in the United States during recent years, Chula Vista saw 22.6% growth between 2000 and 2006, which brought the city's population from 173,556 in the 2000 census to an estimated 212,756, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Chula Vista placed among the nation's 20 fastest growing cities in 2004. A large proportion of local homes were purchased during the recent housing boom using creative financing options that purchasers did not understand were beyond their means. Average home prices in San Diego County declined by 25% in the last year, which is the steepest drop on record. Many homeowners in the region currently owe more than their homes are worth and confront rising balloon payment mortgages that they had expected to afford by refinancing new equity that either vanished or never materialized. In August 2008, Chula Vista's eastern 91913 zip code had the highest home mortgage default rate in the county with 154 filings and 94 foreclosures, an increase of 154% over one year previously. Regionally, the county saw 1,979 foreclosures in August.

Professionals from the real estate and mortgage industries object to Chula Vista's response to the crisis for the additional burdens it places on their struggling finances. Said San Diego real estate agent Marc Carpenter, "that kind of measure will add additional costs to banks that have been hit really hard already and ultimately the cost will be transferred down to consumers and investors." Yet city councils in many communities have been under pressure to do something about increasing numbers of vacant properties. Concentrations of abandoned and neglected homes can attract vandals who hasten the decline of struggling neighborhoods. Jolie Houston explained that city officials "can't fix the lending problem, but they can try to prevent neighborhoods from becoming blighted."

CEO Robert Klein of Safeguard, a property management firm, told the Union Tribune that his industry is having difficulty adapting to the rapidly changing local ordinances. "Every day we discover a new ordinance coming out of somewhere", he complained. Dustin Hobbs, a spokesman from the California Association of Mortgage Bankers agreed that uneven local ordinances are likely to increase the costs of lending. Hobbs advised that local legislation is unnecessary due to California State Senate Bill 1137, which was recently approved to address blight. Yet according to Houston, the statewide measure falls short because it fails to address upkeep needs during the months between the time when foreclosure begins and when the lender takes title.


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Comments:Thailand protest cancelled at last minute

The Thai protestor's call for a putsch against a democratically elected government (however corrupt it may be) will lead to the end of Thai democracy. The arrogant paternalism of the city-dwellers towards the rural-dwellers (who had the government elected) is astounding.