Friday, May 20, 2005

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said May 19 that it will require VoIP providers to route 911 calls to the appropriate local dispatch center. Under this new regulation the dispatch center is also required to be provided with the caller’s callback number and location.

With the exception of Rhode Island, most VoIP’s 911 callers are delivered to the administrative offices of a public-safety answering point, instead of connecting directly to a standard 911 dispatcher. The resulting time delay was a consequence of the phone provider’s refusal to give VoIP providers access to the 911 infrastructure. To comply with this new regulation the VoIP providers need the cooperation of the traditional phone providers. The FCC has not required the traditional phone providers to assist the VoIP providers with this, but a bill introduced in the House and Senate Wednesday would require them to provide the connection.

“The road to full compliance will not be easy, and the commission will almost certainly be called on to take further steps to bring it about, but we have begun the process,” Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy said.

This new regulation comes after the death of a 3-month-old in Florida, partially due to delays in routing the call that was placed over a VoIP service.

“While they seem functionally the same, many [VoIP] callers find that they can’t reach local emergency operators,” said FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. “This situation is unacceptable. People have a reasonable expectation that when they dial 911, they are connected to the emergency operator.”

This new regulation is expected to become final in 30 to 45 days. When it does, the companies will have 120 days to comply.

Cell phone makers have been required to install GPS chips in all phones. The chip is used the share the position of the phone to the nearest transmission tower in the event of an emergency. Newer cell phone models no longer have the option of turning off the location information sharing feature for emergencies. Location sharing for other services, such as a service that might report the nearest restaurant serving corned beef sandwiches when queried could be disabled, if that were the user’s preference.

The effects of 911 location sharing on law enforcement remains to be seen. Fugitives might leave their cell phones turned on. An arrest on I-95 occurred earlier this year near Richmond, VA, when a Florida fugitive was captured by accessing the cell phone location.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Terry Knutsen, who performed under the name Terry Teen during the 1960s, died on Friday evening after life support systems were removed, according to sources close to the artist. Mr. Knutsen was seriously injured on Wednesday evening, while riding his bicycle along the outskirts of Tyler, Texas, United States.

Doctors immediately classified Mr. Knutsen’s condition as ‘critical’ upon his arrival at the hospital, and further stated that he never achieved notable brain activity while hospitalized. Reports indicate that Mr. Knutsen struck a tow truck while he rode his bicycle along Highway 110 along the outskirts of Tyler, Texas on Wednesday evening. A passerby describes seeing “…a smashed up bicycle covered in…plastic bags and…a yellow raincoat…” lying at the scene of the accident.

Mr. Knutsen achieved some notoriety for his novelty song Curse of the Hearse, which was a staple for many years on Doctor Demento’s annual Halloween radio program. Before his death, Mr. Knutsen had performed for many years throughout Texas as a professional clown. He made a brief (uncredited) appearance many years ago on one episode of the hit television show In Living Color. Sources indicate he also had minor roles in various films.

A memorial service is planned for Monday evening at 7:00pm local time (CDT).

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

A 13-year-old boy was killed and ten people were injured in an accidental shooting incident in the Brazilian town of Rondonopolis.

The police were staging a mock hijack as a training exercise with real people in a bus as an audience on Saturday. They fired their guns at cardboard cutouts of criminals in the exercise. However, they used live ammunition in their guns, and the shots went straight through the cutouts and the glass windows of the bus.

Luis Henrique Dias Bulhoes, 13, was killed by a single shot to the head received from one of three 12-gauge shotguns that were amongst the weaponry the 16 police were using. Among the 600 people attending the exercise, six children and three adults were also injured.

Police admitted to the blunder on Monday. They believe bullets from more than one gun reached the audience. Seven of the 16 policeman are temporarily dismissed from their positions pending investigations.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 The Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, Monday, launched its slimline manifesto for the May 5th general election, a twenty-seven page document entitled The British Dream.

The manifesto focuses on five key areas:

Lower tax and value for money: The party plans to make up to £12 billion of savings annually by reducing beurocracy such as quangos. £8 billion will reduce previous deficit, and £4 billion of tax cuts will be made, especially to what have been called “stealth taxes”. The party promised that funding for education, health, transport and international development would not be cut, and spending on police, defence and pensions would be increased.

Flexible childcare and school discipline: The manifesto promised an increase in maternity pay and more choice of childcare. Under a conservative government more independence over expulsions and admissions would be given to school heads and governors. Special schools for disruptive pupils would be created, and more vocational courses would be created for 14-16 year olds.

Better healthcare and cleaner hospitals: A major feature of the coservative campaign has been hospital sourced infections, and in respose the party have promised to introduce ward matrons charged with keeping hospitals clean, with the authority to close wards with MRSA infections. A Conservative government would contribute funding towards operations in private hospitals. Econimic migrants with HIV or TB would not be allowed to live or work in Britain.

Safer communities and more police: A Conservative government would increase police recruitment by 5,000 a year. The manifesto promised to increase prison terms and increase Britain’s prison capacity by 20,000 places. The party would reverse the Labour government’s decision to relax laws prohibiting Canabis use.

Secure borders and controlled immigration: The manifesto proposes a new border police at Britain’s busiest air and sea ports, with 24 hour surveilance. The party would set a quota on economic migrants and reject asylym-seekers who are not vetted by the UNHCR.

Party leader Michael Howard summed up the manifesto: “If you long for cleaner hospitals, more police, school discipline, controlled immigration, lower taxes and accountability – you can vote for it, on 5 May”, accusing prime-minister Tony Blair, who is campaigning for his third term, of letting the country down.

Thursday, May 5, 2005

The 2005 UK general election was held on Thursday 5th May. The election resulted in a third term for Tony Blair’s Labour Party.

Below are the latest Wikinews stories on the campaigning parties and candidates.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Speaking Thursday in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, United States President Barack Obama presented new proposals for financial reform.

“While the financial system is far stronger today than it was a year one year ago, it is still operating under the exact same rules that led to its near collapse,” said President Barack Obama. “My resolve to reform the system is only strengthened when I see a return to old practices at some of the very firms fighting reform; and when I see record profits at some of the very firms claiming that they cannot lend more to small business, cannot keep credit card rates low, and cannot refund taxpayers for the bailout. It is exactly this kind of irresponsibility that makes clear reform is necessary.”

Obama’s two key proposals were to limit the types of operations that a bank may undertake and to limit the size of the largest financial firms.

Under the proposals banks would be prevented from owning or investing in hedge fund or a private equity fund. Nor would they be allowed to sponsor such funds. To limit size of financial institutions, further consolidation of the financial sector by restricting growth in the market share of their liabilities.

Obama called the restrictions on banking operations the “Volcker Rule” in reference to Paul Volcker, the chair of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. These activities are “unrelated to serving their customers,” Obama said.

According to Obama, the current “economic crisis began as a financial crisis, when banks and financial institutions took huge, reckless risks in pursuit of quick profits and massive bonuses. When the dust settled, and this binge of irresponsibility was over, several of the world’s oldest and largest financial institutions had collapsed, or were on the verge of doing so. Markets plummeted, credit dried up, and jobs were vanishing by the hundreds of thousands each month. We were on the precipice of a second Great Depression.”

The President said his administration is seeking to protect consumers and close loopholes that allowed financial products such as credit default swaps without oversight. The goal would be to strengthen capital and liquidity requirements to make the financial system more stable. Another goal of Obama’s reforms would be to ensure that the failure of one firm could not take the entire economy.

“We’ve come through a terrible crisis. The American people have paid a very high price. We simply cannot return to business as usual. That’s why we’re going to ensure that Wall Street pays back the American people for the bailout. That’s why we’re going to rein in the excess and abuse that nearly brought down our financial system,” Obama said in closing.

Before any of the proposals can go into effect, they will have to be passed into law by both houses of the United States Congress.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A park in the U.S. state of Wisconsin has been closed, due to being over-run by gypsy moth caterpillars.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the unprecedented move yesterday, with officials saying they would temporarily close Rocky Arbor State Park near Wisconsin Dells due to an infestation of gypsy moth larvae.

The larvae are present at the park in such large numbers that, according to a report by the Wisconsin State Journal, camping there would “apparently be a squishy, nightmarish experience.”

Mark Guthmiller, DNR gypsy moth suppression coordinator said that “there are also health and safety considerations that prompted our action,” explaining that there was a significant risk of people having severe allergic reactions to the caterpillars. There were also concerns that the caterpillars might be accidentally transported out of the park on park user’s vehicles to areas where the moths have as yet failed to establish themselves. Guthmiller also commented that related sanitation issues” would also “significantly detract from the quality park camping experience.”

Andrea Diss-Torrance, another gypsy moth coordinator for the DNR, said of the infestation: “It’s very severe – it’s as severe as I have ever seen.”

The closure, which will run until at least June 27, is thought to affect around 95 campground reservations at the site, which covers 255 acres. State officials have been attempting to arrange alternatives for campers at nearby parks, or, failing this being acceptable, are offering refunds. The park will be closed until after the caterpillars have completed pupation – the period in their life cycle in which they transform into moths.

The gypsy moth is a pest in the U.S., having been introduced in the 19th-century in a failed attempt to to try to breed a hardy variant of silkworm. The moths can strip the leaves off at least 250 different tree species, and as they lack natural predators in the U.S., cause significant damage. The moths often chew leaves but don’t actually eat them, thus increasing the potential damage.

At Rocky Arbor, they have already stripped all the trees in some areas of the park. The caterpillars can kill trees directly, but more usually weaken them so that they are more susceptible to die from other causes, such as disease.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

On Monday, the draw for the Last 16 for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League took place in Nyon, Switzerland at 12:00 local time. The draw took place in two pots, one consisting of the respective group winners, and the second of the runners-up. Winners of the Last 16 play in the quarter-finals.

UEFA Champions League is the competitive league of Europe in which football clubs topping their respective leagues play for the trophy. 32 clubs across the continent played in eight groups, and the winner and runner-up of each group qualified for the Last 16 knockout round.

Belgian team K.A.A. Gent is to face German VfL Wolfsburg.

Real Madrid, leading their group, and defeating Sweden-based club Malmö FF 8–0, are to face AS Roma.

French champions Paris SG face defending Premier League champions Chelsea again. They defeated Chelsea in the previous Last 16.

Arsenal drew the defending Champions League winners FC Barcelona. Arsenal won 3–0 against the Greek side, Olivier Giroud scoring his first hat-trick for Arsenal and Arsenal qualifying for the Last 16, last week.

Italian champions and previous years’ Champions league runners-up Juventus FC face German giant Bayern Munich. Dutch PSV play Spanish Atlético Madrid. Portuguese champions Benfica drew Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg.

Finally, Ukrainian Premier League winners Dynamo Kyiv drew English Manchester City.

Manchester City tweeted ‘Your turn to play ’em, @Arsenal! #UCLdraw’. Last season, Barça faced City in the Last 16.

The final is scheduled to be played in San Siro stadium in Milan, on May 28.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

According to the Christian Post, Don Levine, the creator of the G.I. Joe, will be creating a line of action figures based on characters from the Old Testament. Released this month are action figures of Samson, David, Noah, Moses, and dolls of Queen Esther and Deborah the Warrior. The toys come with their own Bible storybook. By the fall, the line will expand to 35 products. Levine has began developing a DVD series and television show.

While certainly not the first action figures, dolls, or animated programs based on Biblical characters, it is perhaps the first to launch with a full-fledged licensing program. Already a comic book, narrated CDs, wallet, flashing pins, dog tags, and necklaces have been released.

Levine created G.I. Joe for Mattel in 1963, after a licensing agent suggested soldier figures might have the same success as their Barbie line.