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Wikinews interviews American zoologists about pirate perches' chemical camouflage

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:31:21 GMT

Friday, March 29, 2013

Science and technology

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William Resetarits and a pool
Image: Resetarits Lab.

Christopher A. Binkley collecting beetles
Image: Resetarits Lab.

Pools for studying beetle colonization
Image: Resetarits Lab.

A pirate perch
Image: Resetarits Lab.

American zoologists, William Resetarits and Christopher Binckley, have discovered chemical camouflage in pirate perches. The researchers experimented with common predatory fish victims, such as tree frogs and aquatic beetles, which avoid places where fishes live. However these victims didn't avoid pirate perches. On March 7, the American Naturalist published the researchers' paper.

Today, Wikinews interviewed one of the researchers, William J Resetarits, about the study.

Wikinews What caused your initial interest in Pirate perches?

William J Resetarits: Pirate perch are quite common at our field site in Virginia and we were looking to include as much breadth of diversity as possible in our experiments to see whether the avoidance response we were seeing was a generalized response to fish. So, we used fish that were both phylogenetically and ecologically diverse. Pirate perch are in their own taxonomic family, and represent a different taxonomic order, which includes the Amblyopsid cavefish. So, they have some unique aspects to their morphology and life history, but they are generalist predators and so should have be avoided like all the other fish tested.

WN Do you have a photo of a Pirate perch, and of the environment you conducted experiments in (the pools)? What lab were the experiments carried out in?

WJR: We don't have a great photo ourselves, but there are several available in the public domain. We do have photos of the pools, which I will send.

WJR: All of the experiments (11 in total) were carried out in the field, rather than in the lab, with natural populations of colonizing organisms. Work was conducted at several sites over the years, including the Duke Zoology Field Station, University of Illinois Experimental Pond Facility, Grice Marine Lab (College of Charleston), Naval Security Activity Northwest (Virginia) and Tyson Research Center (Washington University in St. Louis).

WN As far as I could see from the news and Abstract, the prey species avoided pirate perches. What prey species did you test?

WJR: Over the 11 experiments we have used three species of treefrogs (gray treefrogs, Hyla chrysoscelis, squirrel treefrogs, H. squirrella, and pine woods treefrogs, H. femoralis), as well as a total of about 45 species of Dytiscid and Hydrophilid beetles – the two largest families of aquatic beetles. Quite a diverse group, and obviously the shared ancestor of treefrogs and beetles is quite far back in evolutionary history, so these groups have separately evolved avoidance responses to fish.

WN What makes you confident that the camouflage has a chemical nature?

WJR: Well, just to clarify a bit, we use the term camouflage, because it is readily understandable, but what we really are dealing with is some form of "chemical deception". The actual mechanism may be camouflage, which makes an organism difficult to detect, mimicry, which make an organism difficult to correctly identify, or cloaking, in which the organism simply does not produce a signal detectable to the receiver. We are all familiar with visual camouflage, chameleons being a great example, or a deer fawn in the underbrush. Mimicry, flies that look like bees, or harmless snakes that look like highly venomous ones, is also familiar and common. But an organism can't evolve practical invisibility, like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, or the Romulan cloaking device. However, an organism COULD conceivably be chemically "invisible", either by not producing a signal or producing a second chemical that masks the signal. So, the general term "chemical deception" applies until we tease out the specific mechanism.

WJR: Because fish cues appear highly volatile, lasting only a few days if the fish are removed, and colonization/oviposition is highly unpredictable in time, we really couldn't simply use fish conditioned water. So, in our early experiments, we went to considerable pains to isolate the fish in terms of visual and movement cues, so that only chemical cues were available. Sound production is rare in fishes, and none of the fish tested are known to produce sounds. We placed fish inside 115ℓ opaque plastic trash cans with opaque lids and each can had two 25x50 cm sections on opposite sides (and entirely below water-level) removed and replaced with one layer of 99% shade cloth over one layer of no-see-um netting (<1 mm x < 1mm mesh). When submerged in larger tanks light penetration was essentially zero and motion cues were eliminated, but water (and chemical cues) were exchanged.

WN What equipment was used during the study? Do you have photos?

WJR: This is pretty simple stuff, from the perspective of equipment. Not much fancy "science gear" involved. We use cattle tanks or kiddie wading pools, window screen, aquarium nets and turkey basters to collect beetles and eggs, and then dissecting microscopes to identify beetles. The "rocket science" part of it comes in the careful experimental design, the meticulous set up of the experiments and data collection, and then the analysis. Of course, our current work trying to identify the active compound(s) in fish kairomones (odor) uses much more sophisticated analytical equipment.

An array of pools
Image: Resetarits Lab.

A block of pools
Image: Resetarits Lab.

A second array of pools
Image: Resetarits Lab.

A third array of pools
Image: Resetarits Lab.

WN What were the roles of the people involved in the research? What activity was most time-consuming?

WJR: Across the entire 11 experiments, Chris and I did the bulk of the work, along with help from a variety of field assistants and grad students along the way, particularly Joe Rieger and Dave Chalcraft, who also contributed data to the paper.

WJR: This is VERY tedious work. Setup of the experiments is tough physically, and quite elaborate and time consuming, but the toughest part was collecting the frog eggs and beetles, which involves long hours bending over tanks in the hot sun. Counting eggs also takes considerable time, but the most time consuming aspect was sorting and identifying beetles, which was done by Chris and Joe with help from folks at the Smithsonian.

WN How do you plan to investigate the chemistry of the phenomenon? How would you like to check what exactly happens?

WJR: We are using an approach developed by my current post doc, Alon Silberbush, who identified and characterized the kairomone produced by a predatory insect Notonecta. This process involves chemical analysis using gas chromatography. We have an advantage over others who have tried unsuccessfully to identify fish kairomones because we essentially have a control – a fish (pirate perch) that does everything a fish does, but does not "smell" like a fish. So, we can use chemical differences between pirate perch and other fish to guide us in identifying the active compounds in fish kairomones, as well as the mechanism of chemical deception in pirate perch.

WJR: Once we have identified candidate compounds, we then take it back to the field to test with the same organisms which alerted us to the phenomenon originally, treefrogs and beetles, as well as other organisms known to respond to fish chemical cues, such as mosquitoes and water fleas (Daphnia). This allows us to iteratively verify that we have the right compound(s), as well as further test the generality of the response to fish and the chemical deception of pirate perch. We will also test whether this chemical deception works against the pirate perch's own predators.

WJR: Of course, other critical questions that we are working on include just how much advantage in terms of prey acquisition do pirate perch gain as a result of chemical deception, does this phenomenon occur in closely related species, like the cavefish, and are there prey species that have found a way around the chemical deception? There is lots to do and I think we have just scratched the surface.

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Sources [edit]

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

William J Resetarits, Christopher A. Binkley. "Is the pirate really a ghost? Evidence for generalized chemical camouflage in an aquatic predator, pirate perch Aphredoderus sayanus" — The American Naturalist, March 7, 2013

External links [edit]

William J Resetarits homepage

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Supreme Court of the United States contemplates same-sex marriage

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:05:50 GMT

LGBT

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Supreme Court on Capitol Hill
Image: Ken Hammond.

This week, the United States Supreme Court is scheduled to address two cases before them on the issue of same-sex marriage. The federal Defense of Marriage Act case is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday. The other case involves California's Proposition 8. A ruling is unlikely to be made until June.

The federal case involves the denial of privileges afforded to heterosexual married couples on the federal level, and the legality of states to opt out of recognizing legal marriages performed in other states in the union and to deny state benefits for those couples.

Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, potential swing vote on the Supreme Court
Image: Steve Petteway.

John Eastman, law professor at Chapman University and chairman of National Organization for Marriage, a group that opposes same-sex marriage, believes the eventual ruling will be a close one, with Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy likely to be the key swing vote. Eastman is quoted by U.S. News and World Report as saying of Kennedy, "All eyes are on Justice Kennedy and he's obviously written the two major gay rights decisions in the past decade and a half and that means that people rightly think that he's kind of open to taking this step, but he has studiously avoided taking that step in prior cases." Other court watchers agree with this sentiment.

In the lead up to the hearings, a number of high profile politicians have expressed their support for same-sex marriage including Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. Earlier this month, 40 United States senators signed a legal brief arguing against the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that was submitted to the Supreme Court.

High visibility companies have also indicated support for legalized same-sex marriage in the United States, including Starbucks where CEO Howard Schultz gave company support at a share-holder meeting last week. After share-holder Tom Strobhar implied at the meeting that Starbuck's historical position of supporting same-sex marriage, which included open support of the same-sex marriage legalization efforts in the state of Washington last year, hurt the company's bottom line, Schultz responded by saying, "If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38% you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company." The company's position is predicated on respecting diversity, even if it potentially impacts Starbucks earnings.

Goldman Sachs has also supported the push for same-sex marriage arguing that the lack of equality hurts businesses. Goldman Sachs, Marriott International and Thomson Reuters have all signed a legal brief condemning the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Protesters gathered inside the state capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota, to protest against the upcoming vote by the Minnesota House of Representatives to put an anti-same-sex marriage amendment on the 2012 election ballot.
Image: Fibonacci Blue.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll published last week showed support for same-sex marriage in the United States was at an all time high at 58%, an increase of 21% since 2003. A recent Gallup poll showed similar results, with 54% of Americans supporting federal benefits for gay and lesbian couples, an increase of 27% since 1996 when the federal Defense of Marriage Act became law. Last week, a poll published by Reuters/Ipso found 63% of Americans supported same-sex marriage or civil unions. Despite this, social conservatives argue that this support may be over-stated by as much as 7% when voters are asked to voice their opinion on the issue at the ballot box. They cite a 2010 study by New York University political science professor Patrick J. Egan. Social conservatives also argue that people lie to pollsters to avoid appearing intolerant. 2000 Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer said on Fox News Sunday, "I’m not worried about [same-sex marriage], because the polls are skewed. Just this past November, four states, very liberal states, voted on this issue and my side lost all four of those votes. But my side had 45, 46 percent of the vote in all four of those liberal states." Brian S. Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, also argues that misleading polling questions over-count support for same-sex marriage in the United States.

Despite the potential for skewed polling, the four most recent ballot initiatives regarding same-sex marriage in the United States on a state level resulted in citizens voting to support same-sex marriage in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington and Maine. It also comes at a time when the most recent election cycle in the United States saw opponents of same-sex marriage outspent 3 to 1.

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Sources [edit]

Catalina Camia. "Sen. Mark Warner announces gay marriage support" — USA Today, March 25, 2013
Aaron Blake and Scott Clement. "Is support for gay marriage over-sold?" — The Washington Post, March 25, 2013
Rebekah Metzler. "Supreme Court Readies for Gay Marriage Cases" — U.S. News and World Report, March 25, 2013
Kristene Quan. "Support, Telling Shareholder to Sell Stake If He Doesn’t Like Views" — Time Magazine, March 25, 2013
Peter Henderson. "Insight: Silent or supportive, conservatives give gay marriage momentum" — Reuters, March 25, 2013

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United States re-elects Barack Obama

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 06:14:51 GMT

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Obama speaking to troops at Bagram Airfield in May.
Image: Bill Gowdy, US Navy.

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama has been projected enough electoral votes to win re-election, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. Many of the major media outlets have called the election for Obama.

Obama's campaign succeeded in gaining the vote in the battleground states of Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, and New Hampshire. Romney won in Indiana and North Carolina, two states Obama won in 2008.

Obama thanked voters via Twitter, posting: "This happened because of you. Thank you."

In the race for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, who helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, defeated incumbent Republican Scott Brown. In Wisconsin, Democrat Tammy Baldwin defeated Tommy Thompson for U.S. Senate and will be the first openly gay member of the Senate. In Missouri, Senator Claire McCaskill defeated her Republican challenger Todd Akin. In August, Akin suggested that women who are victims of "legitimate" rape are unable to get pregnant.

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Sources [edit]

"President Barack Obama wins re-election" — BBC News, November 7, 2012
"Barack Obama Re-Elected As US President" — Sky News, November 7, 2012
"Obama wins 2nd term as president" — CBC, November 6, 2012
Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg. "Obama Wins New Term as Electoral Advantage Holds" — New York Times, November 6, 2012
"Tammy Baldwin wins in Wisconsin, becomes first openly gay U.S. Senator" — Vancouver Sun, November 6, 2012
Katharine Q. Seelye. "Warren Ousts Brown for Massachusetts Senate Seat" — New York Times, November 6, 2012
Lucy Madison. "McCaskill to win Missouri Senate, CBS News projects" — CBS News, November 6, 2012

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Singer Andy Williams dies at 84

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:35:44 GMT

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Obituaries on Wikinews

10 May 2013: Former Pennsylvania Governor George Leader dies aged 95
8 April 2013: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87
20 February 2013: Presenter Derek Batey dies at age 84
12 January 2013: Report: hacker activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide
4 December 2012: Australian Paralympian Janet Shaw dies aged 46

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Andy Williams in 2006.
Image: Rizan.

Singer Andy Williams has died at 84 years old on Tuesday. He had been fighting bladder cancer for a year. He died in his home in Branson, Missouri.

Williams recorded eighteen gold- and three platinum-certified albums. He owned the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri. Williams had a variety show on television called "The Andy Williams Show" from 1962 to 1967 and 1969 to 1971. Williams also hosted Christmas specials.

His songs included Moon River, Can't Take My Eyes off You, and Christmas song It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan said Williams' voice was "a national treasure".

Williams was born Howard Andrew Williams on December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa. His older brothers Robert, Donald, and Richard and he formed the Williams Brothers, a singing quartet. He married Claudine Longet in 1961 and they divorced in 1975. In 1991, he married Debbie Haas.

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Sources [edit]

"The Titanic Hits Eight Million Sales in RIAA Awards" — Recording Industry Association of America, September 28, 2012 (date of access)
"Singer Andy Williams dies at age 84" — Reuters, September 26, 2012
Adam Bernstein. "Andy Williams dies; "Moon River" singer was 84" — The Washington Post, September 26, 2012
"Andy Williams dies aged 84" — The Daily Telegraph, September 26, 2012

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Pressure mounts on US Senate candidate Todd Akin to withdraw after controversial rape comments

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:54:50 GMT

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Politics and conflicts

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14 May 2013: Australian Treasurer hands down budget, announces two years of deficits
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Congressman Todd Akin represents Missouri's 2nd congressional district.
Image: United States Congress.

Congressman Todd Akin is facing pressure from fellow Republicans to drop out of the United States Senate election in Missouri after he made controversial comments about abortion in cases of rape. If he withdraws by 5 p.m. central time (1100 UTC) today, the Missouri state Republican party would have 28 days until it would require a court order to replace his name on the ballot.

In an interview with the St. Louis television station KTVI-TV on Sunday, Akin said: "Well you know, people always want to try to make that as one of those things, well how do you, how do you slice this particularly tough sort of ethical question. First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."

Akin's comments soon gained national notoriety, with numerous politicians condemning his comments. Senators Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin have both called for him to drop out of the race. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Akin's comments were "inexcusable". President Barack Obama said in a press conference on Monday, "...We shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women."

The National Republican Senatorial committee has said it will no longer fund Akin's campaign, regardless if he drops out or not. Other groups who support Akin are considering stopping all campaigning in Missouri.

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Sister links [edit]

Todd Akin rape and pregnancy controversy

Sources [edit]

Stephanie Condon. "Republicans eye deadline for Akin to drop out after controversial rape comments" — CBS News, August 21, 2012
Manu Raju. "Todd Akin digs in ahead of dropout deadline" — Politico, August 21, 2012
Charles Jaco. "The Jaco Report: August 19, 2012" — KTVI-TV, August 19, 2012

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Albert Pujols ends his worst homerun drought

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:27:08 GMT

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Wikinews Sports

Sources [edit]

Tom Verducci. "Slumping Pujols most stunning development in strange season" — Sports Illustrated, May 8, 2012
Mark Saxon. "Albert Pujols hits first HR as Angel" — ESPN, May 6, 2012
Associated Press. "Alberts Pujols connects for 1st homer as Angel in win over Jays" — ESPN, May 6, 2012

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St. Louis storm uproots tent; one dead, several injured

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:07:03 GMT

Monday, April 30, 2012

Location of St. Louis in the United States.
Image: Faigl.ladislav.

On Saturday, a large tent near Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri was lifted from the ground with an estimated 150 people inside it. One person died at a nearby hospital and sixteen others were hospitalized. Almost 100 other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries including one broken arm, according to officials.

The incident occurred just before 4 p.m. central time behind Kilroy's, a bar just south of Busch Stadium. The storm produced winds of 50 mph which lifted the tent and blew it into a neighboring railroad trestle. "I thought a train fell off the track," said owner of Kilroy's, Art Randall. City guidelines mandate the tent should have withstood 90 mph winds. The tent had been issued a permit by the city. Frank Oswald, building commissioner, said the tent had been inspected two days after the permit was issued. The cause of the failure has not been determined, but the fire marshal is investigating.

Map of St. Louis with the locations of Busch Stadium and Kilroy's Sports Bar indicated.
Image: Dr. Blofeld.

A total of eleven medical units helped at the scene, and numerous fire departments showed up, according to Deputy Fire Chief John Altmann.

The patrons not paying attention to weather warnings may have contributed to the amount of injuries, Altmann said at a press conference held four hours after the incident. "Anytime we put a lot of people in open areas and you have hazardous weather, it is a dangerous situation," said Altmann.

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Sources [edit]

Tim Bryant. "St. Louis residents clean up, repair Saturday's storm damage" — stltoday.com, April 29, 2012
"Storm topples St. Louis bar tent; 1 dead" — Fox59, April 29, 2012

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Deadly tornadoes blast U.S. Midwest leaving 39 dead

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:37:19 GMT

Monday, March 5, 2012

Disasters and accidents

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At least 39 people are confirmed dead, dozens injured and numerous buildings are left damaged in several states after series of tornadoes hit the U.S. Midwest March 2. The storm system stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Southern Indiana, northern Alabama and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee were affected the most.

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Images from the GOES 13 satellite shows the formation and movement of the storm system.
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The first warning went out around 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and by about 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, at least twelve tornadoes had touched down in three different states. At least fourteen people were confirmed dead in Indiana. Officials are still trying to determine how many people might have died and assessing the damage.

New Pekin, Indiana, Marysville and Henryville are reported to have been hit the worst. Marysville about a hour north of Louisville, Kentucky has been reported to be nearly flatted. In Kentucky, at least 17 people had died and at least 200 injuries have been reported. Only one has been confirmed dead in Alabama but at least eleven people were injured during the storm. There are three confirmed dead in Clermont County, Ohio.

Damage reports in the Midwest and South keep piling up. Golf ball, tennis ball and softball size hail was reported in several states. Severe damage was reported in Nashville, Tennessee and Knoxville after high winds and 3 inch in diameter hail tore through the cities.

At the Limestone Correctional Facility in northern Alabama roofs were ripped off two dormitories housing over 500 inmates and multiple security fences were knocked down. Even though the prison lost power, nobody was injured or escaped. Also, flights were delayed for over an hour after storm debris littered the runways at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

The National Weather Service issued 255 tornado warnings on Friday, received 94 reports of tornadoes, 208 reports of strong winds and 410 reports of hail. The storms, caused by a warm, moist and unseasonable air mass that then mixed with colder air, followed a series of tornadoes earlier in the week that killed 13 people in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee.

The storms have raised fear that 2012 will be another bad year for tornadoes. Last year was the deadliest year in a century due to tornadoes, killing 550 people.

How should we help victims of natural disasters? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Bruce Schreiner and Tom LoBianco (AP). "Baby dropped in field by tornado dies; toll at 39" — Sarasota Herald-Tribune, March 4, 2012
Steven Yaccino. "Towns Search for Survivors After Widespread Storms" — The New York Times, March 3, 2012
Susan Guyett. "Tornadoes slam Midwest, at least six dead in Indiana" — Chicago Tribune, March 2, 2012

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On the campaign trail, February 2012

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:17:58 GMT

Saturday, March 3, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

The following is the fourth in a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2012 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after a brief mention of some of the month's biggest stories.

In this month's edition on the campaign trail, the Libertarian Party holds a primary in Missouri, Wikinews interviews a lesser-known Republican candidate focused on the nuclear situation in Iran, and a Democratic candidate disputes a "one-dimensional" label.

1 Summary
2 Missouri Libertarian Party primary results
3 Republican focuses on Iran
4 More than one-dimensional?
5 Related articles
6 Sources

Summary [edit]

In February 2012, three well-known figures announced third party runs. Comedienne Roseanne Barr announced she would seek the Green Party's presidential nomination. Former Congressman Virgil Goode opened a Constitution Party campaign. And former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer proclaimed he would seek the Reform Party presidential nomination in addition to Americans Elect.

Santorum bows his head to pray during a February fundraiser in Arizona.
Image: Gage Skidmore.

Mitt Romney won the endorsement of businessman Donald Trump, and was victorious in the February 4 Nevada caucus. Three days later, Rick Santorum gained momentum with a sweep of three non-binding contests in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. Though Romney gained a victory in the Maine caucus, Santorum's momentum pushed him ahead. He led the polls in Romney's former homestate of Michigan, shot to first place in national opinion polls, and won the endorsement of former Senator and current Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who retracted his support for Romney. Talk increased of someone else entering the GOP race if Romney lost Michigan.

Santorum's rise and the Obama administration's new contraceptive mandate brought social issues to the forefront of the GOP race. The role of church and state gained prominence as Santorum remarked that hearing President John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on separation of two, "makes him throw up". After a poor performance in the month's final GOP debate, Santorum began to fall in the Michigan polls. However, members of the Democratic Party planned to vote for Santorum in the open primary, and Santorum ran robo-calls to Democrats asking for their support. In the end, Romney won in both Michigan and Arizona.

Newt Gingrich, who largely skipped Michigan and Arizona, focused early on the Super Tuesday states, which hold their primaries in the first week of March. Ron Paul continued his run as well following a close second place finish in Maine. At the end of the month, rumors spread of a Paul-Romney alliance after an analysis of previous debates showed that Paul never attacked Romney directly, and after Paul's son Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said "it would be an honor to be considered" as Romney's running mate. A spokesman for Ron Paul's campaign denied the rumors.

Missouri Libertarian Party primary results [edit]

In Missouri, the Libertarian Party held its first primary of the 2012 election cycle. Parliamentary advocate James Ogle, the only candidate listed on the ballot, edged "uncommitted" 52.7 percent to 47.3 percent to win the majority of votes. This was something a Libertarian candidate could not accomplish during the 2008 primary, when "uncommitted" won a plurality.

██ James Ogle

██ Uncommitted

Image: William S. Saturn.

Ogle has operated and promoted a fantasy government project based on the Sainte-Laguë method of voting since 1993. It is known as the USA Parliament. Ogle believes his username for the project — Joogle, a combination of his surname and first and middle initials — served as a basis for the name of the search engine Google; for his campaign, he uses the slogan "Go Ogle".

To appear on the Missouri ballot, Ogle paid a filing fee of $1000. He was the only Libertarian candidate to do so. Ogle thinks this happened because he is "accessible" in comparison to his opponents, "perhaps the other candidates couldn't be reached, and since there was about a 48 hour deadline to file the papers, they either didn't want to spend the $30 on overnight postage, they simply didn't know or else they didn't want to file." Other candidates for the Libertarian Party nomination, who missed the ballot, include former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, former air traffic controller RJ Harris, and activist R. Lee Wrights.

Just before the primary, an article in the Missourian newspaper chronicled Ogle's campaign. He believes this contributed to his victory. In the story, he "was able to explain about ranked choice voting, the Libertarian's philosophy of the non initiation of force, smaller government and more liberty." In addition, the report mentioned Ogle's desire to be the running mate of Green Party presidential candidate Roseanne Barr.

According to Ogle: "the combination of all these events, somehow could have prompted more to ask for the Libertarian ballot when they went to the voting booth."

The non-binding primary is the only contest the Libertarian Party will hold before its nominating convention in May. California is also to hold a primary, but it is scheduled after the nomination. Ogle is to appear on the California ballot.

Republican focuses on Iran [edit]

Republican presidential candidate Hugh Cort, a psychiatrist and President of the non-profit American Foundation for Counter-Terrorism Policy and Research, describes his campaign's status as "wait-and-see". In December, he participated in the Republican Party's lesser-known candidates forum, and was included on the New Hampshire Republican primary ballot. He received a total of three votes.

Nevertheless, Cort's main area of concern is the nuclear situation in Iran, which garnered significant press in February. Iran, which claims it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, blocked International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from monitoring a site suspected of containing nuclear weapons research. Increasing western sanctions against the country have resulted in threats from the government that it will cut off oil exports to Europe and/or close the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This talk has affected the price of crude oil. Commentators have suggested that war is looming.

Republican Hugh Cort
Image: Marc Nozell.

Cort, who has written a book entitled The American Hiroshima: Iran’s Plan for a Nuclear Attack on the United States, which he gave to Mitt Romney, believes Iran already has a nuclear weapon and that an attack on the United States is "very likely to happen in the very near future." He tells Wikinews that if "Iran does detonate some nuclear bombs in American cities, I would consider continuing my run for President, under the assumption that perhaps America would like to elect someone who knows something about counter-terrorism."

WSSHow should the president address the nuclear situation in Iran?

Hugh Cort: The President should say that America will help Israel to take out Iran’s nuclear sites. He should also prepare America for the possibility that Iran may have nuclear bombs already here, giving instructions on how to cope if a nuclear bomb should go off. Although some would say not to take out Iran’s nuclear sites for fear of retaliation from Iran, if we let Iran get nuclear weapons, they will then make much more devastating nuclear bombs, such as plutonium bombs with a 5 Megaton yield (350 times the size of a Hiroshima blast). With the bombs that Iran may already have now, they could damage America, but America would survive. If they are allowed to make the bigger bombs (for example 100 Megaton bombs) they would destroy America. Remember, Iran’s leaders have a suicide bomber’s mentality—they do not fear death. In fact, Ahmadinejad has said the role of Iran is to be a martyr, in order to bring about the destruction of America and Israel which will usher in the coming of his messiah, the "12th Imam", or "Mahdi". The leaders of Iran are religious fanatics who will not listen to reason.

WSSHow did Mitt Romney react when you handed him your book?

Hugh Cort: I did not personally give my book to Mitt Romney—a friend of mine in Florida did. She said he took it seriously, as have two Governors of Alabama, several Senators, and many others. When I met in the Eisenhower Office Building in the White House compound with the Senior Director for Counter-Terrorism of the National Security Council, Nick Rasmussen, he took our research very seriously.

WSSWhich of the presidential candidates is best equipped to handle the Iran situation?

Hugh Cort: I believe the Presidential candidate best able to handle the Iran situation, other than myself, is Newt Gingrich, closely followed by Rick Santorum, closely followed by Mitt Romney. All three would do a much better job than Obama. Ron Paul, unfortunately, although he is good on the economy, is a dismal failure in foreign policy and is totally naïve on the very grave threat of the Iran situation.

More than one-dimensional? [edit]

Democratic presidential candidate Randall Terry is best known as an anti-abortion advocate. However, he says he is not the "one-dimensional" character portrayed in the press. He tells Wikinews that in addition to his activism, he has experience in theology, foreign policy, and music.

Randall Terry
Image: Marc Nozell.

Terry finished second in the Missouri Democratic primary in February and ranks above all primary challengers to President Barack Obama. He received some media attention this month for attempting to run Super Bowl advertisements in Chicago that showed aborted fetuses. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling prevented him from showing the ads since he is not on the Illinois Democratic primary ballot. However, after the Super Bowl, Terry was able to target the ads in Oklahoma. He will be on that state's March 6 primary ballot, and federal law requires stations to show paid advertisements for "legally qualified candidates".

After this and a February 22 Daily Caller report that conservative icon Ann Coulter planned to speak at a Terry fundraiser, Wikinews caught up with Terry.

"I have obtained a one-dimensional personality in the news", says Terry, "I have a Masters in Diplomacy and International Terrorism from Norwich University...I have a BA in Theology. A BA in Communications from the SUNY [State University of New York]. A daily TV show seen in 44 markets. [And] I have lectured at the Vatican."

He mentions that he authored two papers on Islamic terrorism, which are accessible from his campaign website. These are titled, "How do the words and deeds of Islamic terrorists, or Muslims who call for acts of terror and violence, emulate the words and deeds of Muhammad?" and "Is Islamic Shaira [sic] Law Incompatible With International Laws of Human Rights for Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion and Expression?"

Terry adds, "I used to be an accomplished musician." His songs "I'm Cryin for you Baby", "I Do", "Te Deum", "United We Stand", and "Let Those Cookies Burn" can be heard on his website.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

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

"Randall Terry: for President" — Randall Terry for President, March 2, 2012 (date of access)
"Democratic Convention 2012" — The Green Papers, March 2, 2012 (date of access)
"The American Foundation for Counter-Terrorism Policy and Research" — AFCPR.org, March 2, 2012 (date of access)
"Go Ogle for President 2012" — USParliament.org, March 2, 2012 (date of access)
Steven Nelson. "Ron Paul: Santorum an ‘addict of conspiracies,’ alliance with Romney pure fiction" — The Daily Caller, February 29, 2012
"Romney Wins Arizona and Michigan Primaries" — Fox News, February 29, 2012
Aaron Blake. "Rick Santorum seeks Democratic support in Michigan robocalls" — The Washington Post, February 27, 2012
USA Today. "Santorum: Church-state separation not absolute" — Tucson Citizen, February 27, 2012
Paul West. "Michigan polls show Romney gained after GOP debate" — Los Angeles Times, February 24, 2012
Ewen MacAskill. "Romney heads to Michigan as GOP figures lament dismal Arizona debate" — The Guardian, February 23, 2012
Kyle Leighton. "Polls: Santorum Opens Up A Lead Nationally As Romney Leads In MI, AZ Primaries" — Talking Points Memo, February 22, 2012
Caroline May. "Ann Coulter to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Randall Terry" — The Daily Caller, February 22, 2012
Sarah Huisenga. "Gingrich to skip Mich., focus on Super Tuesday" — CBS News, February 21, 2012
"Iran nuclear talks a failure, says IAEA" — The Guardian, February 21, 2012
Michael Calderone. "Iran Nuclear Coverage Echoes Iraq War Media Frenzy" — The Huffington Post, February 17, 2012
Dan Balz and Rosalind S. Helderman. "Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine endorses Rick Santorum, rescinding support for Mitt Romney" — The Washington Post, February 17, 2012
Randy Krehbiel. "Tulsa TV stations likely required to run graphic anti-abortion ads, parties say" — Tulsa World, February 16, 2012
Beth Fouhy and Steve Peoples. "Maine Caucus Results 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Contest" — The Huffington Post, February 11, 2012
Kasie Hunt and Laurie Kellman (AP). "Social issues rule busy day in presidential race" — Fox News, February 10, 2012
"James Ogle edges ‘Uncommitted’ to win Missouri Libertarian Presidential Primary" — Independent Political Report, February 8, 2012
"Unofficial Election Returns" — Office of Secretary of State, Missouri, February 7, 2012
Andrew Miga (AP). "Roseanne Barr seeks Green Party presidential nod" — Yahoo! News, February 3, 2012
Mark Preston and Alan Silverleib. "Trump endorses Romney" — CNN, February 2, 2012
"Libertarian primary choice describes himself as 'outsider' in own party" — Columbia Missourian, February 2, 2012
"Feb 5, 2008 Presidential Preference Primary" — Office of Secretary of State, Missouri, February 5, 2008

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Rick Santorum sweeps three non-binding GOP presidential contests

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:29:44 GMT

Thursday, February 9, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania won three Republican Party (GOP) presidential contests on Tuesday, but received no delegates. Though the races were non-binding, some analysts see in them a vulnerability for front-runner Mitt Romney, and a possible revitalization of the Santorum campaign.

Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado each held nominating contests. These elections had no delegates attached because GOP rules stipulate that no state other than Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, may choose delegates before the first Tuesday in March. Turn-out was low in each of the contests.

Santorum campaigns in January.
Image: Gage Skidmore.

In the Missouri primary, Santorum received over 55 percent of the vote, thirty points ahead of second place finisher Romney. Texas congressman Ron Paul came in third with twelve percent. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich was not on the ballot, as he did not file for inclusion in that primary.

In Minnesota, Santorum won 45 percent of the vote, edging second place Paul, who received 27 percent. Romney finished third with 17 percent, followed by Gingrich with eleven. Santorum spent a large amount of time campaigning in the state this past week. On election night, Paul chose to be in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

	I don’t think this was as much an endorsement of Rick Santorum as it was another wakeup call for Governor Romney ...
—Richard Wadhams, Colorado GOP chairman

In Colorado, Santorum finished with 40 percent, besting Romney by five percent, with 13 percent for Gingrich and twelve for Paul. Former Colorado GOP chairman Richard Wadhams commented, "I don’t think this was as much an endorsement of Rick Santorum as it was another wakeup call for Governor Romney that he needs to be more specific about why he wants to be president, beyond that he’s a successful businessman".

In his victory speech from Colorado, Santorum proclaimed "Mitt Romney has the same positions as Barack Obama...I don’t stand here to claim to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. I stand here to be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama." Afterwards, he told CNN that his campaign has "momentum" and that he raised $250,000 online on Tuesday.

	... we’ll keep on campaigning down the road, but I expect to become our nominee ...
—Mitt Romney

In Denver, Romney addressed supporters, acknowledging "a good night for Rick Santorum", while maintaining "we’ll keep on campaigning down the road, but I expect to become our nominee".

Romney has won contests in New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada. According to former Republican strategist Dan Schnur, "He is still the front-runner, but his flaws are a lot more apparent after Tuesday night, and that raises the stakes for him over the next few primaries going forward."

The next contests will take place in Arizona and Michigan at the end of February. Romney is the favorite to win these states, though he was also favored to win in Minnesota and Colorado before Tuesday.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sister links [edit]

Rick Santorum presidential campaign, 2012

Sources [edit]

Michael Levenson. "Santorum surge is telling for Romney" — The Boston Globe, February 9, 2012
John Whitesides and Sam Youngman. "Facing more key votes, Romney can't afford another stumble" — Reuters, February 9, 2012
Kristin Jensen and Catherine Dodge. "Santorum Sweep Casts Doubt on Romney’s Drive" — Bloomberg, February 8, 2012
Aaron Blake. "Winners and losers from Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri" — The Washington Post, February 8, 2012
"How Significant Were Santorum's 3 Victories?" — PBS NewsHour, February 8, 2012
"2012 Missouri Primary results" — Fox News, February 7, 2012
"2012 Minnesota Caucuses results" — Fox News, February 7, 2012
"2012 Colorado Caucuses results" — Fox News, February 7, 2012
"The Rules of the Republican Party (pg. 18 - Rule No. 15)" — August 6, 2010 (amended)

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Walmart recalls infant formula after baby death

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:30:29 GMT

Friday, December 23, 2011

Health

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More information on Health at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Trypticase containing Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria.
Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Retail store group Walmart has removed an infant formula from over three thousand of their stores in the United States. The decision was taken in the aftermath of the death of a baby who suffered from Cronobacter sakazakii, an infection which is extremely rare but poses a significant risk to babies born recently and those born prematurely should they contract it. A second newborn baby has also contracted the infection, which is most frequently discovered in plants like rice and wheat.

Ongoing tests are now attempting to establish whether or not the powdered infant formula is connected to the bacterial infection the two babies suffered from in the US state of Missouri. A statement from Walmart says that the company is taking the product Enfamil Newborn Formula off their shelves "out of an abundance of caution". Speaking on behalf of Walmart, Dianna Gee stated that the group express their "deepest condolences" to the family of Avery Cornett, who died after removal from life support. Gee informed Agence France-Presse that lot number ZP1K7G had been removed and "Walmart customers who may have purchased the item at our stores can return it for a full refund or exchange it for another brand of formula".

The manufacturer of Enfamil Newborn Formula has also stated that tests made before shipment of the product came back as negative. Chris Perille, a spokesperson for Enfamil manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition, has said: "The batch of our product used by the child's family tested negative for Cronobacter when it was produced and packaged, and that has been reconfirmed from our batch records following this news". Mead Johnson are "highly confident in the safety and quality of our products — and the rigorous testing we put them through" and is "working with the health authorities to support their efforts to identify the source or cause of this infant's infection," according to Perille. The U.S. government has reportedly made no recall of the product.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has referred the infant formula to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration for examination and has advised parents that "powdered infant formulas are not commercially sterile products" and destroying bacteria amongst the production process may not be possible, while "no exclusively breastfed infants have been reported to have" contracted Cronobacter sakazakii. Pending test completion, "it cannot be determined whether the illness is linked to Enfamil Newborn Formula 12.5 oz. cans lot #ZP1K7G or an outside source", according to a statement from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The department has also suggested that parents observe the World Health Organisation's 'Guidelines for the safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula', which recommends "washing your hands with soap and water, thoroughly sterilizing all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for only one feeding at a time".

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"Wal-Mart recalls baby formula after infant dies" — BBC News Online, December 22, 2011
"Walmart pulls formula from US shelves after baby dies" — Agence France-Presse, December 22, 2011
"A Message from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services regarding the Cronobacter Sakazakii (formerly referred to as Enterobacter Sakazakii) Bacteria" — Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, December 22, 2011

External links [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Enterobacter sakazakii

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Wikinews interviews Darcy Richardson, Democratic Party presidential challenger to Barack Obama

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:55:34 GMT

Friday, November 25, 2011

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Democratic Party presidential candidate Darcy Richardson.
Image: Darcy Richardson.

U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Darcy Richardson of Florida took some time to answer a few questions from Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn.

Richardson, 55, is a political activist that helped form the New Democrats in 1989 and founded the progressive Battleground Blog earlier this year. He is also a political historian, and has authored six books covering third parties and presidential elections, including A Nation Divided: The 1968 Presidential Campaign (2002). His current work, The Spirit of ’76: Eugene McCarthy’s Struggle for Open Politics, chronicles the late Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy's 1976 presidential campaign for which he volunteered. Richardson admires McCarthy, and served as manager for his 1988 presidential run. Recently, Richardson advised Brian Moore's Socialist Party USA presidential campaign in 2008.

In addition, Richardson himself has sought political office, albeit unsuccessfully. In 1980, he ran for Pennsylvania Auditor General, and in 1988, vied for one of Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seats as a member of the Consumer Party. Last year, he ran for Lieutenant Governor of Florida as the running mate of gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari.

Richardson has criticized President Barack Obama's policies for being too similar to those of former President George W. Bush. He hoped to convince several prominent progressives to challenge Obama in the Democratic primaries, but none were available to do so. Last month, Richardson decided to begin a campaign himself and announced through his Battleground Blog that he would challenge Obama in the Democratic Party primaries as a progressive candidate. So far, he has qualified for the New Hampshire primary in January and the Missouri primary in February. In an interview with the Independent Political Report, Richardson proclaimed his campaign slogan as "no fourth term for George W. Bush."

1 Background
2 Policy
3 Campaign
4 Related news
5 Sources
6 External links

Background [edit]

William S. SaturnWhen did you first meet Senator Eugene McCarthy, and what attracted you to his campaign?

Senator Eugene McCarthy.
Image: United States Federal Government.

Darcy Richardson: I first met Senator McCarthy during his independent campaign for the presidency in 1976 when I was about 19 or 20 years old. I had been an admirer of the former Minnesota lawmaker dating back to his 1968 campaign when he courageously challenged LBJ for the Democratic presidential nomination, essentially risking his political career to end the unjust war in Vietnam. It was a candidacy of conscience. Similarly, I was strongly attracted to Gene's 1976 effort, believing that he was far better qualified than either Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford. McCarthy's campaign that year — striking down burdensome and discriminatory ballot access laws in no fewer than twenty-four states — was an heroic effort to further the cause of open politics in this country. McCarthy's legal team, headed by young lawyers John C. Armor and Philip L. Marcus, described it as "The Bloodless Revolution of 1976." McCarthy's candidacy that year had a lasting effect on my own politics. I knew Gene fairly well and visited him several times in later years in his book-filled home near the Blue Ridge Mountains, a rustic and comfortable dwelling lined with pictures of Yeats and Joyce. Gene was an original voice in American politics. He was also a pretty decent poet.

WSSIn 1980, to the surprise of many, Senator McCarthy endorsed Republican Ronald Reagan for president. Did you agree with this decision?

Richardson: No, I didn't agree with that endorsement. In fact, I had campaigned for Ted Kennedy in the New Hampshire and Pennsylvania primaries earlier that spring and later ran for statewide office in Pennsylvania on a ticket headed by environmentalist Barry Commoner, the Citizens Party nominee for president. Some Democrats never forgave Gene for endorsing Reagan. I wasn't one of them.

WSSYou are (or were at one time) a member of the Boston Tea Party, a minor third party whose platform supports "reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose." Do you agree with this platform?

Richardson: My involvement with the Boston Tea Party — a freedom-oriented, limited government entity — was relatively short-lived. I assisted them a bit here in Florida because of Tom Knapp's personal involvement. Tom, a self-styled anarchist and original thinker, had founded the party shortly after the Libertarian Party's mid-term convention in 2006. An edgy and contemplative guy, Tom is a libertarian writer and activist for whom I have tremendous respect. He's one of the smartest people I know and is also probably one of the most talented writers that I've ever encountered.

WSSWhich presidential candidates have you supported over the past twenty years?

Richardson: There are probably too many to mention here, but Eugene McCarthy, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination again in 1992, and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio would be the two that I've been most enthusiastic about during the past twenty years. We need more Democrats like them.

WSSHow have your political views changed in the past twenty years?

Richardson: We all change, of course, but my political views have always remained consistently progressive.

Policy [edit]

William S. SaturnIf you had been elected president in 2008, what would you have done differently than Barack Obama?

Richardson.
Image: Darcy Richardson.

Darcy Richardson: The fact that President Obama initially appointed Larry Summers as chairman of his White House Economic Council shortly after taking office, should have given everybody pause. Summers is probably more responsible for the country’s current economic mess than any other individual.

As President Clinton's Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to January 2001, Summers shaped and pushed the financial deregulation that unleashed the near-collapse of Wall Street in the autumn of 2008, particularly when he pushed through the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 during the final years of the Clinton Administration — legislation, as you know, that had prohibited banks from doing both commercial and investment banking.

An architect-turned-enabler of this never-ending economic crisis, Summers later supported the Commodity Futures Modernization Act that, unbelievably as it might seem, mandated that financial derivatives — including the reckless credit default swaps at the heart of the financial crisis — could be traded between financial institutions without any government oversight whatsoever.

It’s little wonder that Rolling Stone writer William Greider, in a marvelously detailed article in late 2008, pointed out that Obama’s choice of Summers and other key economic advisers, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, seemed designed to sustain the failed economic policies of the Bush presidency — an administration that never saw the financial crisis coming in the first place.

The Summers appointment told me that the President had no earthly clue how this devastating financial crisis happened or how to reverse it.

Things only got worse after that. President Obama failed to resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. He failed to include a public option in health care. He failed to assert his constitutional responsibility during the recent debt limit crisis. Unbelievably, he's failed to protect Social Security and Medicare. He extended the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. He failed to push for cap-and-trade. And he failed to close Gitmo. I could go on, but I think you get the point. If anybody deserves a serious intraparty challenge, it's the current occupant of the White House.

In retrospect, it's really incredible that a Democrat of national stature and credibility hasn't entered this race — at least as of now.

WSSDo you believe Obama has done any good things as president?

Richardson: Nothing I could write a book about, unless it's a work of fiction. He's generally been disappointing, allowing the GOP to frame the debate on issue after issue. Who in their right mind wants the Republicans to dictate fiscal or economic policy in this country? The folks in the Occupy Wall Street movement have already figured that out. It's just a matter of the rest of the country coming to the same conclusion...

WSSWhat necessary freedoms are currently lacking in American society?

Richardson: Since the beginning of the Bush Administration, most of our personal freedoms have been under constant attack — including freedom of assembly, as many in the Occupy movement can sadly testify.

WSSDo you disagree with any parts of the current U.S. Constitution?

Richardson: Not really, but I'm not particularly crazy about the second amendment.

WSSWhat are some of your policy proposals, and if elected, how would you implement these?

Richardson: First and foremost, I'm advocating a capital levy on wealth, not unlike the proposal currently being debated in Germany and other European countries. Much of our current $15 trillion national debt should be recouped from the rich — the pampered and privileged class that hasn't paid its fair share in recent years.

Though I'm still developing my platform, I also support a second stimulus package — roughly five or six times the size of Obama's meager $447 billion "Son of Stimulus" — to jump-start the U.S. economy; a Medicare-for-All health care plan; and a moratorium on home foreclosures (for primary residences only), not unlike that initiated by Minnesota's radical Farmer-Labor Party during the Great Depression. I also want an immediate end to the war in Afghanistan and am strongly opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline.

The American people are hurting, and they're hurting badly.

Campaign [edit]

William S. SaturnYou wrote that you had wanted somebody like former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, economist Jeffrey Sachs, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), or former Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL) to challenge President Obama in the primaries. You mentioned that you had "encouraged several of them to run". Which of these individuals did you contact and what were their reasons for declining?

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.
Image: Robert Reich.

Darcy Richardson: My personal preference was former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, whom I had urged to run several months ago. I never received a response. In my opinion, Reich's talents are being virtually wasted in academia. He's a brilliant man and has probably forgotten more than Obama ever knew. The country desperately needs him. I also personally encouraged Kucinich to enter the fray, but he was clearly focusing his attention on being re-elected to the U.S. House, a re-election contest complicated by redistricting. I received a nice reply from Kucinich's congressional staff. I never got around to contacting Jeffrey Sachs, but the Columbia University professor, like Bob Reich, would have been an ideal candidate, too.

WSSOf the candidates currently running for the Republican Party nomination, which do you most admire?

Richardson: Well, I sort of miss Harold Stassen; he was a truly progressive Republican. But to answer your question it would probably be Buddy Roemer and gay activist Fred Karger. I also like former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Roemer, a former congressman and ex-governor, is probably the most principled candidate in the crowded Republican field, but the powers-that-be in both the GOP and the media have denied him a fair hearing. I wouldn't be surprised if he runs as an independent. I also admire Congressman Ron Paul's tenacity, but I find his politics a little too conservative for my blood. After all, government isn't the enemy.

I've never completely agreed with McCarthy's assessment that the Republican Party was like the lowest form of plant and animal life, but the rest of the GOP field — from Gingrich to Santorum and Cain — comes awfully darn close to matching that biting description.

WSSWhat campaign activities have you taken part in and where do you base the campaign?

Richardson: I've mostly just done newspaper and television interviews up to this point. I enjoy doing them, but television interviews are probably the toughest. Can you imagine what would have happened to civilization if Aristotle and Plato had to speak in sound bites?

In any case, I do plan to campaign actively in New Hampshire shortly after Christmas and plan to make a major effort in Pennsylvania — my old stomping ground — next spring as part of a major effort of sorts in the tri-state area. We hope to petition our way onto the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware primary ballots and to pay a filing fee in nearby West Virginia. I'm also willing to campaign in other primary and caucus states where we're organized.

Believe it or not, we actually have a functioning campaign headquarters on St. Johns Bluff Rd. in Jacksonville, about twenty-three miles from my home. We share the office with a couple of local businesses.

Our low-key campaign is progressing nicely. We recently named Frances "Dolly" Simplot — a Hillary Clinton supporter and longtime Democratic activist from Bellingham, Washington — as my honorary campaign chairperson. Dolly is in her mid-seventies, but has more energy than somebody half her age. She's amazing. Like millions of other lifelong Democrats, she's deeply disappointed in the Obama Presidency. Then again, she is a Democrat.

WSSHave you or do you plan to file with the FEC?

Richardson: We've already raised a few thousand dollars and plan to file with the FEC shortly.

WSSWould you consider running as a third party or Independent candidate?

Richardson: I have no plans to do so, but I've learned in life never to entirely rule out anything.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

"Darcy Richardson Qualifies for Missouri Democratic Primary" — Independent Political Report, November 24, 2011
Michael A. Memoli. "Even Democratic ballot will be crowded in New Hampshire primary" — Los Angeles Times, October 28, 2011
"Darcy Richardson challenges Obama in Democratic presidential primary" — Independent Political Report, October 27, 2011
Darcy G. Richardson. "Darcy Richardson: ‘Why I’m Running for President’" — Battleground Blog, October 26, 2011
Darcy G. Richardson. "About Battleground Blog" — Battleground Blog, 2011
"Richardson, Darcy G." — Our Campaigns, 2011
"Exclusive Interview with Darcy Richardson, Independent Candidate for Lt. Governor of Florida" — Third Party and Independent Daily, October 11, 2010
Barbara White Stack. "Small uprising developing among national Democrats" — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 13, 1989

External links [edit]

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St Louis Cardinals win baseball's World Series

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:38:14 GMT

Monday, October 31, 2011

2013 World Series results
Game	Home			Away	Innings
Game 1	Cardinals	3	2	Rangers
Game 2	Cardinals	1	2	Rangers
Game 3	Rangers	7	16	Cardinals
Game 4	Rangers	4	0	Cardinals
Game 5	Rangers	4	2	Cardinals
Game 6	Cardinals	10	9	Rangers	11 inn
Game 7	Cardinals	6	2	Rangers

Allen Craig batted a home run in the final game for the Cardinals

St Louis Cardinals defeated Texas Rangers over seven games to win baseball's World Series for an eleventh time yesterday.

The Cardinals won the last game 6–2, with the highlights of the game being a solo home-run for batter Allen Craig and defensive pitching by Chris Carpenter.

A record 47,399 supporters filled Busch Stadium in St Louis to watch the game, with thousands more outside the ground.

The Cardinals were trailing 3–2 going into the sixth game, but won a narrow victory with World Series Most Valuable Player David Freese guiding his team to victory. Greg Heakes of the Sydney Morning Herald called him the "hero" of an "epic" game.

Freese was also active in the finale with a double in the first inning to cancel out two early Texas runs. Playing in place of injured left fielder Matt Holliday, Craig's homer in the third put the hosts into the lead for the first time.

The fifth inning saw two walked in runs for the Cardinals as their lead stretched to 5–2, and Yavier Molina drove in Lance Berkman to round off the game in the seventh.

Carpenter struck out five Rangers batsmen throughout the game, throwing five scoreless innings as Rangers' batsmen struggled.

Texas manager Ron Washington was respectful in defeat. "Someone has to win, someone has to lose and the Cardinals did it. They were the better team."

The defeat was Texas' second successive World Series loss, coming after a defeat to San Francisco Giants last year. This is the first time since August that they have lost two games in a row.

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Sources [edit]

Mark Mitchener. "World Series 2011: Cardinals beat Rangers in finale" — BBC Sports, October 29, 2011
Greg Heakes. "Cardinals claim 11th World Series crown" — Sydney Morning Herald, October 29, 2011

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Tornado touches down in Joplin, Missouri

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:47:07 GMT

Monday, May 23, 2011

Weather

Sources [edit]

Richard Esposito, Leezel Tanglao, Keven Dolak. "Tornadoes Rip Across Midwest; 89 Dead in Joplin, Mo." — ABC News, May 23, 2011

Kevin Murphy, Reuters. "Tornado kills at least 30 in Joplin, Missouri" — Chicago Tribune, May 23, 2011
Kurt Voigt, Associated Press. "Missouri Officials Fear Tornado Killed at Least 24" — ABC news, May 23, 2011

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Lockdown at Missouri university lifted as police apprehend suspected gunman

Fri, 13 May 2011 01:52:39 GMT

Friday, May 13, 2011

Crime and law

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More information at Wikipedia:

A photo of the suspect, Cody Nathaniel Willcoxon, who has been taken into police custody.
Image: Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

A suspected gunman has been taken into custody today after a university in Missouri, U.S. was locked down when he entered the campus with an AK-47 assault rifle. Cody Nathaniel Willcoxon reportedly arrived at Missouri University of Science and Technology around 9:00 a.m. CDT (14:00 UTC) Thursday morning after shooting at officers in a police chase.

Officials say no one has been injured after Willcoxon—described as a Caucasian male with sandy blonde hair—entered McNutt Hall, a building on the campus. He had earlier escaped from police custody at Fort Leonard Wood while being questioned by military police when trying to enter the property and was then pursued by authorities along Interstate 44. The gunman began shooting at police while driving, exiting the interstate at Rolla, Missouri. Willcoxon reportedly stopped near a university building and fled on foot, before stealing a Ford Taurus from a residence near the school.

No shots were fired on campus, say authorities, and no one was injured. The school sent emergency alerts to its students and faculty as a result of the incident. Law enforcement officials told students to stay inside their buildings until the lockdown was lifted and were not allowing anyone to enter the campus. Police were seen retrieving several items, including weapons, from a vehicle on the school campus.

Willcoxon was apprehended by authorities around 1:00 p.m. CDT and the lockdown was subsequently lifted.

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Sources [edit]

Jay Scherder. "Suspect is in custody near Rolla MO after chase, shooting at officers, campus lockdown" — KPLR11, May 12, 2011
"Police: Gunman Fired Shots Before Entering Campus" — ABC News, May 12, 2011
"Police: Gunman no longer on Mo. university campus" — Associated Press, May 12, 2011
Kristen Gosling. "Missouri S&T gunman leaves campus" — KSDK, May 12, 2011
Robert A. Cronkleton and Joe Robertson. "Gunman forces lockdown at university in Rolla" — Kansas City Star, May 12, 2011
"Emergency news and updates" — Missouri University of Science and Technology, May 12, 2011
"All clear issued for Missouri S&T campus" — Missouri University for Science and Technology, May 12, 2011

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