<div class=Day 1 report of Wikimania 2006
" />

Day 1 report of Wikimania 2006

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Sunday, August 6, 2006

Wikimania 2006 is the second annual Wikimedia conference. Hosted by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it began August 4 and will run until August 6.

Wikimania began with a keynote presentation from Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation. Wales played a short portion of a clip from a recent episode of U.S. television program The Colbert Report discussing Wikipedia. In the clip, Colbert says that “any website that has a longer entry on truthiness than Lutheranism has got its priorities straight.” His keynote continued by re-emphasising Wikimedia’s mission, as stated by Wales in a Slashdot interview: “Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s what we’re doing”.

Wales stated that Wikipedia is “not as good as Britannica — yet”. Additionally, he also stated that in the coming year, Wikipedia will be making “a turn towards quality”. “We have always had this goal, but we all know we’re not there yet – in the coming years one of the themes is going to be a turn towards quality.” said Wales.

He then introduced Brad Patrick, the general counsel and recently-appointed interim CEO of Wikimedia. Patrick said he found Wikimedia after reading Wales’ list Ten Things That Will Be Free on Lawrence Lessig‘s blog. After discovering the Wikimedia Foundation, Patrick emailed Wales about meeting for lunch. He had lunch with Wales a few months later and was hired as general counsel shortly after.

Wales went on to describe Wikia, the company he co-founded with Angela Beesley. He announced that Wikia has received venture capital, allowing them to hire full-time engineers to work on the MediaWiki software. He emphasized that Wikia, has “a total commitment to free knowledge and respect for communities.”

Later, Wales announced that the One Laptop Per Child project will be including Wikipedia as the first element in the content repository. He also announced that the board has approved Wikiversity as “a center for the creation and use of free learning materials and activities”. Wikiversity will “create and host a range of free-content multilingual learning materials for all age groups in all languages”. It will be launched soon with a three language, six month, beta trial period.

Wales described a project called Wikiwyg: a WYSIWYG editor for the wiki. Wikiwyg is an attempt to make the wiki easier to edit. “An intelligence test by making it hard to edit, just does not work,” noted Wales. While the release date is uncertain both Wikia and Socialtext are devoting full-time engineers to the project.

Wales emphasized the need to focus on quality. He also briefly discussed the commitment in the German Wikipedia to rolling out a stable version. He stated that if we do not have it rolled out by next year’s keynote “we are making a big mistake”.

Wales finished his keynote by giving an update on his Ten Things That Will Be Free and proposing “that the foundation seek funding to hire community coordinator and recruiters for important languages where we currently do poorly”.

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.
This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Other notable speakers included Ward Cunningham, Lawrence Lessig, Eben Moglen and many members of the Wikimedia communities.

The day wrapped up with a poster reception and a party celebrating Wikia’s 250,000 articles and Wikia’s founders Angela Beesley and Jimmy Wales birthdays.

Archived copies of many of the presentations are available on the Wikimania wiki.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Day_1_report_of_Wikimania_2006&oldid=798998”
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<div class=Israel allows cash for Gazans
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Israel allows cash for Gazans

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Since the beginning of the Israeli blockade in the Gaza Strip, there have been two main shortages for the Gazans: food and money. Israel has allowed minimal food shipments in, but up until yesterday no cash had been let into the Strip. Heeding United Nations warnings that a blockade of cash flow to Gaza would cause a liquidity crisis, Israel allowed US$25 million into the Strip, where 1.5 million people are struggling to survive since the blockade imposed by Israel blocked all UN aid in early November.

The money will go to pay civil servants’ salaries, and will be given to those in most desperate need of food. However, Palestinian economy minister Kamal Hassuneh has warned that $70 to $75 million for salaries is needed and that the money should be transferred every month, not just once.

In addition to allowing much-needed cash into Gaza, Israel has also begun allowing reporters into the area and admitting aid workers to dock in Gaza ports.

The blockade is now in its second month after it began because of rocket fire eminating from the area.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Israel_allows_cash_for_Gazans&oldid=1054685”
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Demystified: Fixed Rate Mortgage And Variable Rate Mortgage

Demystified: Fixed Rate Mortgage And Variable Rate Mortgage

Submitted by: Chris Mcguire

Fixed mortgage rates are decided by the price of government bonds and the bond yield. Investing in bonds are in general considered safer than stocks, and as soon as there is financial turmoil, investors normally will unload equities in preference to bonds, particularly Government bonds, and at the same time as the stock market is thriving, investors in all probability would make a higher return on investment in equities. This way there is a lower demand for bonds; as a result, their valuation decreases that add to their yield. On the other hand, as soon as the economy turns out to be less stable and stocks do not look as attractive, the demand for bonds rises that reduces their yields.

As soon as the governments long-term bond prices, for instance the 5 year, increases, this results in a lower returns, in general plummeting the five year borrowing costs for mortgage lenders who can then pass on these savings to customers in the shape of lower 5 year fixed mortgage rates. On the other hand, during these exceptionally odd times, caused by inadequate liquidity in the markets, across the world banks are timid to lend to each other and are flush with cash, soaring borrowing costs this results in lenders having to pass on this increase on to customers in the shape of high fixed mortgage rates.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g75Hxsq96KI[/youtube]

When it comes to variable mortgage rates, Bank of Canada plays a huge role in influencing variable mortgage rates for the reason that overnight target rates are set by the bank and is described as, Intraday average interest rates between financial institutions/banks. On this, banks base their Prime Lending Rates and the Bank of Canada does not interfere on lender’s Prime Rates and are independently determined by each financial institution/banks, further these are based on the cost of short-term money.

Variable mortgage rates that are advertised by banks are directly depended on Prime lending rate, which means that the interest rate you will be paying is directly associated to the Prime rate, and will change each time this changes. As a result, if the Bank of Canada cuts rates by 1% or 100 basis points, lenders mostly follow the bank and reduce their Prime rate too, given that their cost of borrowing falls, this means that your payments on a variable rate mortgage will reduce. This is an excellent choice if interest rates are plummeting. However, at present due to economic crisis banks have stopped lending to each other in the short-term, for the reason that they are fearful they might not get their money back thanks to the volatility in the system. Accordingly, inter-bank lending rates have risen and this increased cost is now being passed on customers by increasing interest rates.

Now it all comes down to which is a better option, fixed rate mortgage or a variable rate mortgage. This in fact relies on, each person s condition and whether he or she can handle the varying mortgage rate payments both monetarily and psychologically for the reason that the last thing you would like to do is being concerned given that interest rates could rise. Otherwise if you would feel more relaxed knowing the stable fixed rate you would be paying, over the next few years. As a final point, it is up to you to choose which will be best for you fixed rate mortgage or variable rate mortgage.

About the Author: Chris is an expert in the field. For more information on

buisness mortgage

and on

best mortgage rates

Please visit: http://www.ratesupermarket.ca

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=404772&ca=Finances

<div class=New Zealand government denies financial assistance for Overlander
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New Zealand government denies financial assistance for Overlander

Monday, September 25, 2006

The New Zealand government today has announced that they will not provide financial assistance to the Overlander train service between Auckland and Wellington, which is set to stop service on September 30, if no assistance is forthcoming. ONTRACK will retain the North Island main trunk line, while looking for tourism operators to start a tourist rail service.

Trevor Mallard, acting Finance Minister, said: “In making this decision… Cabinet recognised that there was no prospect of the current Overlander service becoming commercially viable. It was not a fuel-efficient operation and at an average passenger rate of 50 passengers each way per day, it was used by relatively few people.”

It is cheaper and faster to travel either by bus or plane rather than the 12-hour train journey. “The fares already overlap with airfares, and the reality is that the service is just not well-used. It can not compete with low-priced air travel and coaches. Cabinet considered the regional implications of ceasing the Overlander service and accepted that the current bus services run by the InterCity Group met the needs of those communities,” Mallard said.

There has been numerous petitions from the public and from the Green Party of New Zealand to continue the Overlander train service, including one petition signed by 16,000 people presented at the Parliament Buildings on September 14, 2006. “While there have been a number of propositions about retaining the Overlander service, all of the propositions would require government funding in one form or another,” said Mallard.

Mallard said that the government will only support rail services if it significantly benefitted the community.

The Government estimates that financial assistance to the Overlander train service would cost NZ$1.75 million a year.

“Finally, the government does recognise and value the importance of a viable and efficient rail network in New Zealand’s transport infrastructure. This was a critical factor in the government’s decision to buy the rail network back from Tranz Rail. The government has also committed $200 million to upgrade the national rail network between 2004/05 and 2007/08. A further $600 million has been provided to upgrade the Auckland rail network between 2005/06 and 2009/10.”

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=New_Zealand_government_denies_financial_assistance_for_Overlander&oldid=1887105”
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<div class=Media round-up: April Fools’ Day 2008
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Media round-up: April Fools’ Day 2008

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Many media outlets traditionally deliberately spread hoaxes on April Fools’ Day, including notable quality sources such as National Geographic and Science.

The popular British tabloid The Sun wrote that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to undergo stretch surgery to make him taller than his wife, Italian artist and model Carla Bruni. The report claimed the 5 foot 5 inch leader would be made 5 inches taller in one year using a method by Israeli professor Ura Schmuck. The Sun noted that during his visit to Britain last week, Sarkozy had high-heel shoes while his wife wore a pair of flat pumps.

The Guardian on the other hand ran an article that suggested that Carla would head an initiative by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to bring more glamour, good taste and sophistication to the U.K. general population. This would involve collaboration with Marks & Spencer for high-street fashion and Jamie Oliver for meals and wine.

BBC News had real-looking footage of flying penguins fronted by documentary host Terry Jones, which were actually an advertisement for its new iPlayer.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Media_round-up:_April_Fools%27_Day_2008&oldid=4608358”
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Meet The Future Of Vdp Printing Technology, Brought To You By Kodak And Wilen Group

Meet The Future Of Vdp Printing Technology, Brought To You By Kodak And Wilen Group

Meet the Future of VDP Printing Technology, brought to you by Kodak and Wilen Group

by

Mark Etinger

One of the latest buzz words when discussing Direct Mail is VDP or Variable Data Printing. VDP is basically your regular direct mail offers, flyers or bill inserts, but with a personal twist.

VDP allows business to print direct mail as usual, but add variable information like consumer names along with a personalized attention grabber, directed to each individual, according to his or hers personal profile. The Eastman Kodak Company developed a new Stream Printhead that provides your business with the enhanced digital VDP capabilities. The new Printhead is actually a bridge between offset and digital printing, extending the business and revenue opportunities for companies of all sizes and adding value to printed pages.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dy7AF7AS_g[/youtube]

Many surveys and studies proved that a letter that is personally directed to an individual is more likely to be read through and create action. As a direct mailer, using the Kodak Prosper S10 Imprinting System will help you implement highly targeted, cost effective marketing materials that can deliver greater return on your marketing investment.

The Prosper S10 is now being used in the U.S. We now have the ability to produce direct mail as much as 40 times faster and at a quarter of the price and to produce massive amounts of mail in a short amount of time.

When printing VDP with the S10 Imprinting System, you can actually match your specific brand colors and attributes, or your corporate logo colors into your direct mail. “The quality sets the standard for what new printing technology will be, this technology, although new now, will absolutely be prevalent in the industry. Since we put in the Kodak technology, we have been able to produce 80,000 full color Letterpaks per hour, using 600 dpi technology, which eventually comes out to 1.6 million direct pieces per day, in one press.

Indeed, the Printhead, operating at 1,000 fpm, delivering a resolution of 600 dpi, allows users to save time and money, unlike with the old fashioned, two-step process that combines offset pre-printed forms and offline laser imprinting. As a direct mailer, you can now be confident and comfortable with the new technology, because of the high quality and low cost. The shift occurring in the communications industry makes it tough to be a print-only provider. You have to be solutions- oriented.

With this amazing new technology you can reach a clientele faster and more efficiently than you’ve ever imagined without costing you too much.

Wilen Group

specializes in Commercial Printing,

Target Marketing

, Customer Communication and Business Relationships.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

<div class=Brampton MPP to hold community barbeque
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Brampton MPP to hold community barbeque

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale Member of Provincial Parliament Dr. Kuldip S. Kular invites “everyone” to his community barbecque.

The event lasts from 1 until 4 pm in the northwest corner of Chinguasousy Park, at 9050 Bramalea Road in Brampton. The BBQ is free.

Kular was elected into office in 2003, having come to Campbellton, New Brunswick in 1974 to set up a family medical practice.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Brampton_MPP_to_hold_community_barbeque&oldid=418563”
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<div class=Recalled pet food found to contain rat poison
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Recalled pet food found to contain rat poison

Friday, March 23, 2007

In a press release earlier today, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker, along with Dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Donald F. Smith, confirmed that scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory identified Aminopterin as a toxin present in cat food samples from Menu Foods.

Menu Foods is the manufacturer of several brands of cat and dog food subject to a March 16, 2007 recall.

Aminopterin is a drug used in chemotherapy for its immunosuppressive properties and, in some areas outside the US, as a rat poison. Earlier reports stated that wheat gluten was a factor being investigated, and officials now state that the toxin would have come from Chinese wheat used in the pet food, where it is used for pest control. Investigators will not say that this is the only contaminant found in the recalled food, but knowing the identity of the toxin should assist veterinarians treating affected animals.

The Food Laboratory tested samples of cat food received from a toxicologist at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University. The samples were found to contain the rodenticide at levels of at least 40 parts per million.

Commissioner Hooker stated, “We are pleased that the expertise of our New York State Food Laboratory was able to contribute to identifying the agent that caused numerous illnesses and deaths in dogs and cats across the nation.”

The press release suggests Aminopterin, a derivative of folic acid, can cause cancer and birth defects in humans and can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats. Aminopterin is not permitted for use in the United States.

The New York State Food Laboratory is part of the Federal Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) and as such, is capable of running a number of unique poison/toxin tests on food, including the test that identified Aminopterin.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Recalled_pet_food_found_to_contain_rat_poison&oldid=4512281”
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<div class=Wikinews interviews Steve Burke, U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate
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Wikinews interviews Steve Burke, U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate

Sunday, December 13, 2015

This article is a featured article. It is considered one of the best works of the Wikinews community. See Wikinews:Featured articles for more information.

Macomb, New York Councilman Steve Burke took some time to speak with Wikinews about his campaign for the U.S. Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nomination.

Burke, an insurance adjuster and farmer, was elected councilman in Brookhaven, New York in 1979. He left the town after being accused and found not guilty of bribery in the 1980s. Since 1987 he has served as Macomb councilman off-and-on and currently holds the post. From 1993 to 1996 and 1999 to 2002 he worked as chairman of the Democratic Party of St. Lawrence County, New York. Among his many political campaigns, Burke unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1992 and recently attempted to run for U.S. Congress in 2014 but too many of his ballot petition signatures were found invalid. Burke filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in the 2016 election on September 18, 2015 and has qualified for the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Primary.

With Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn?, Burke discusses his political background, his 2016 presidential campaign, and his policy proposals.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_interviews_Steve_Burke,_U.S._Democratic_Party_presidential_candidate&oldid=4567472”
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How To Drive In Snow

How To Drive In Snow

How To Drive In Snow

by

Patricia Bland

One of the most accident causing weather conditions is snowy weather. Below are some tips to help avoid problems when trying to drive in snow.

First, be aware of terrain. Looking at how snow affects a car, it is easy to see the problems it causes stem from the loss of traction. In certain terrain, this problem is multiplied. Hills, up or down, can be a problem in snow. A sharp curve can also be a magnet for accidents on the morning after a snow. If there is any way possible, avoid taking routes that have steep hills or sharp curves to navigate. While even the sharpest curves on flat ground can be navigated slowly, be aware that tall snow covered hills can be impossible to navigate altogether. When checking terrain, be aware of areas where ice could form. The most dangerous of these would be puddles where snow-melt refreezes. The only real safe driving advice for ice is don\’t drive on ice.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_-_7eeDwU4[/youtube]

Once you\’ve chosen the least treacherous route to get to your destination, it is time to consider how to navigate that route safely. First, know how to accelerate. Acceleration on snow should be done in a relatively slow and steady manner. Once moving at a safe but reasonable speed, try to keep a steady speed to maximize traction. Acceleration is seldom the problem though, it is deceleration that causes the most accidents. The first rule of thumb is to drive more slowly so that deceleration is less necessary. If you are forced to brake hard on snow, no good will come of it. For this reason, along with maintaining a sedate pace, maintain more space than you normally would between yourself and any vehicles on the road with you.

When you must decelerate relatively suddenly, use the car\’s gearing to slow you down as much as possible. The reason cars spin out when you hit your brakes on snow is that one tire maintains traction slightly longer than the other and the one that loses traction locks and never regains traction. Antilock brakes can help by causing them to unlock more quickly, but a better option is dropping to a lower gear. Moving into a lower gear causes the tyres to turn more slowly, effectively braking the vehicle, but never actually lock so even if one side loses traction, its still rolling tyre has a chance to regain it and maintain the car\’s stability. While obviously most effective with a standard transmission, dropping into a lower gear is an effective way to decelerate in a controlled manner even in an automatic transmission powered vehicle.

This article was written by Patricia Bland, a scots-woman through and through. With over 20 years experience in the automotive trade, in scotland particular. For more information on

used cars in Paisley

or

used cars for sale in glasgow

visit Macklin Motors.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com