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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

File:ACORN logo.png

The US community organizing group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) will end its operations due to dwindling funds. The group said in a statement that it would close most of its field offices by April 1.

The heads of the organization said in a joint statement that “ACORN’s members have a great deal to be proud of—from promoting homeownership to helping rebuild New Orleans, from raising wages to winning safer streets, from training community leaders to promoting voter participation—ACORN members have worked hard to create stronger communities, a more inclusive democracy, and a more just nation.”

The group, founded in 1970, played a prominent role in the 2008 US presidential elections, as it conducted many voter registration drives and fundraising for then-Senator Barack Obama, among other Democratic candidates. The organization first became scrutinized during the 2006 mid-term elections, when some of its employees were accused of voter fraud. Matters got worse in 2009 after an undercover video revealed two of its employees giving advice on how to set up a prostitution ring and commit tax fraud.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Saturday afternoon, a commercial aircraft skidded off the runway at Trabzon Airport in Turkey. The airplane, which carried over 160 passengers and crew, had just landed when it left the runway and went down a cliff, where it stopped, perilously close to the Black Sea. The aircraft is a Boeing 737-800 operated by Pegasus Airlines.

Provincial governor Yucel Yavuz told the press, everyone was evacuated and no injuries were reported. He announced the airport would be closed until Sunday morning as investigators take a look at the incident. It is unclear why the plane veered off the runway. Photos show the nose of the craft mere meters from the sea on the steep cliff.

Passenger Yuksel Gordu told Anadolu Agency: “It’s a miracle we escaped. We could have burned, exploded, flown into the sea.” Fellow passenger Fatma Gordu said: “We tilted to the side. The front was down while the plane’s rear was up. There was panic, people shouting, screaming.”

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Daniel Kidd is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Don Valley West riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Kidd did not answer multiple questions.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

The United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right Honourable Gordon Brown PC MP, in a speech to the British House of Commons today presented his ninth Budget, what is very likely to be his last Budget before the next UK General Election. This opened the parliamentary debate on the 2005 Finance Bill, and was followed by responses from the opposition parties.

In a 48 minute long speech, the Chancellor presented a Budget of “tax cuts that are reasonable, spending that is affordable, and [economic] stability that is paramount”, that was “the prudent course for Britain”. There were few surprises that had not already been indicated in his 2004 pre-Budget report. The increase in the threshold on stamp duty was greater than that forecast by commentators, as was the amount of the Council Tax rebate to households with pensioners.

Monday, March 20, 2006

New Zealand actress and Whale Rider (2002) star Keisha Castle-Hughes will star as The Blessed Virgin Mary in the upcoming New Line Cinema film, Nativity.

Castle-Hughes, 15, who is of Australian and Maori descent, was the youngest actress to be nominated for a best-actress Academy Award when she was recognized for her role in Whale Rider.

Catherine Hardwicke, who is best known for Three Kings (1999), will direct.

Nativity looks at the life of the biblical couple Mary and Joseph prior to the birth of Jesus, showing how their faith, love and beliefs are tested. The script incorporates the couple’s journey from Nazereth to Bethlehem, and includes figures such as King Herod and the three astrologers (a.k.a. the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men).

Filming is scheduled to begin in May and will include locations in Morroco and Italy. The studio aims for a December 2006 release.

Thursday, February 17, 2005China is now the world’s largest consumer of resources, passing the United States.

China’s consumption exceeds the U.S.’s in grain and meat, coal, and steel, with the U.S. only still using more oil a year.

China uses more wheat and rice than the U.S. every year, with the U.S. only taking more corn. In total, China consumed 382 million tons of grain in 2004 while the U.S. used 278 million tons.

The world’s most populous country also eats more meat, consuming 64 million tons a year compared to the U.S.’s 38 million, despite the average Chinese person eating 49 kg a year (the U.S. average is 127 kg).

However the U.S. still uses three times as much oil, consuming 20.4 million barrels a day in 2004 while China uses only 6.5 million. But China’s oil consumption doubled between 1994 and 2004, while the U.S.’s only increased by 15%. Japan is the world’s third largest oil consumer. Car sales doubled in China over the last two years.

China is rapidly heading to being the largest producer of carbon dioxide, the gas responsible for the greenhouse effect. Two-thirds of China’s electricity is generated by burning coal, using 800 million tons a year.

China has a population of 1.3 billion people and its increases in consumption are being driven by a booming economy. However, the country only had an average per-capita income of $5,300 in 2004, one-seventh of the U.S.’s $38,000. The U.S., with its population of around 295 million being about four times less than China’s, still consumes considerably more per person than does China, despite the differences in raw values.

The country now imports large amounts grain, soybeans, iron ore, aluminum, copper, platinum, phosphates, potash, oil and natural gas, forest products for lumber and paper, and cotton. In order to feed its demand for raw materials, the country has formed economic relationships for long term imports from major exporters such as Russia, Brazil and Australia.

The country is also growing rapidly in economic strength; along with Japan, it buys most of the U.S. Treasury’s securities that allows the US to run its huge financial deficit.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

According to outgoing Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, an explosion that was “equivalent to a 2,000 lb. bomb” and registered 0.5 on the Richter scale decimated an area of Danvers and is also a “Thanksgiving miracle.”

The explosion occurred around 2:45 am EST, this morning in the Danversport area of Danvers, Massachusetts at the plant for solvent and ink manufacturer, CAI Inc. The explosion, which was caught on security camera and was heard up to over 25-50 miles away in southern Maine and New Hampshire.

The explosion damaged over 90 homes, blowing out windows and knocking some houses off their foundations. Officials believe that some of the more extensively damaged houses will have to be leveled and rebuilt. Some of the buildings damaged included a bakery, boats at a close by marina and the New England Home for the Deaf, an assisted-living facility for people who are deaf or deafblind and elderly residents requiring constant care. “These people are extremely fragile,” said state Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers, whose district includes the affected area. “Many of them have Alzheimer’s and other illnesses. It’s clear they can’t stay here long, but it’s clear they won’t be able to return for quite a while.”

Danvers Fire Chief James P. Tutko toured the area by helicopter and said many residents would be kept from their homes for the foreseeable future. “It looks like a war zone, that’s the only thing I can say,” Tutko said. When asked about the loss of no life at all, he responded “Somebody out there likes us.” Finally, he said that finding out the cause of the explosion would take days.

Outgoing governor Mitt Romney toured the area and said the explosion was a “Thanksgiving miracle” as the explosion was “equivalent to a 2,000 lb bomb going off in a residential neighborhood,” and that no one was killed and only about 10 people suffered only minor injuries in area that included over 300 residents. Residents of the area have been evacuated to the Danvers High School where temporary shelter has been set up by the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay. Donations are being taken for residents affected by the explosion. Residents are also being told to start filing insurance claims right away and to keep track of their expenses for items bought.

There were minor environmental concerns due to water runoff of chemicals. According the Environmental Protection Agency‘s on-scene coordinator Mike Nalipinski, preliminary tests showed low levels of toluene, a solvent, but said it was nothing of significance. Water runoff from the water used by firefighters left a purple sheen on the river and tests were being conducted. However, the water is not a local drinking water supply and the chemical evaporates quickly. Chief Tutko said there was no risk of toxic fumes getting into the air.

An Eastern Propane facility was also located near the area, however, it was not the source of the explosion. A spokesman for the company said that although the property suffered some minor damage, their tanks are secure.

According to WHDH television, a person who answered the telephone at CAI’s Georgetown, Massachusetts headquarters refused comment, and a telephone message left at the company president’s home was not immediately returned.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Polish Prime Minister Jaros?aw Kaczy?ski has ordered the pharmaceutical company Jelfa to halt production following revelations that Jelfa had placed mislabelled medication on the market, whose use could be potentially fatal.

Jelfa distributed vials labelled as Corhydron, a hydrocortisone used to treat allergies and inflammation, but in fact containing Suxamethonium chloride, a drug normally used to cause muscle paralysis during emergency surgery.

The Health Ministry has appealed to people suffering from asthma or allergies to check their medication and return any Corhydron ampoules they possess to the pharmacy.

Polskie Radio reports that the mislabelling was discovered a month ago, but Jelfa and the Polish Health ministry did not inform of the problem.

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski ordered Jelfa to halt production until it can assure the Polish Government that it can properly manage its production.

The Polish Outlook reports that that drug companies in Poland were operating unregulated since December, 2005 as the regulations has expired. The government was putting in place new regulations.

The owner of Jelfa is AB Sanitas, the largest drug producer in neighbouring Lithuania. The shut-down has been questioned by the Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, who expressed concern over the situation and said that he wants to try to settle the issue diplomatically.