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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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Car crash kills six in Warren, Ohio

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:15:51 GMT

Monday, March 11, 2013

Ohio

Sources [edit]

Thomas J. Sheeran (Associated Press). "6 teens killed, 2 hurt in northeast Ohio SUV crash" — Yahoo! News, March 11, 2013
Andrew Rafferty. "Ohio town mourns 6 teens killed in mysterious car crash" — NBC News, March 10, 2013

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Reports of at least fourteen dead this week due to gun-related suicides in the United States

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:53:18 GMT

Correction — February 6, 2013

This article does not conform to our neutrality policy, due to its manner of presentation of an out-of-context selection of facts. The lapse appears to have been unintentional by all parties involved. We apologize for the error.

Crime and law

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Sunday, February 3, 2013

A number of suicides as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds took place around the United States this week with reports of deaths in Arizona, California, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington.

Last Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alston Badger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 51 years old.

On Monday in Clark County, Nevada, Jody Sherman, the Ecomom founder and CEO, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Another suicide occurred Monday in New Jersey. Chester and Rosaria Andraka died after Chester allegedly shot Rosaria before killing himself. Chester was a former police officer and there were few signs of trouble in the relationship prior to their deaths.

Another murder-suicide shooting took place on Monday. This one occurred in Elmont, New York, where 58-year-old Audley Dennis is believed to have shot his 46-year-old wife, Karen Rodgers-Dennis, before he shot himself. The couple allegedly had a history of fighting, with a family friend telling the New York Post, “They had their altercations. They would argue and yell, have outbursts."

Greensburg, Indiana, where one of this week's gun-related suicides took place
Image: Dopey9928.

In Greensburg, Indiana on Tuesday, local police Lieutenant Larry G. Dance committed suicide, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot. He had joined the police force on January 1, 1995. He left behind by a wife and two daughters.

On Tuesday in Waldorf, Maryland, local police reported an attempted murder-suicide with sixty-four year old Linda Lindsey believed to have shot her husband before fatally shooting herself. Her husband was reported to have survived and be in critical condition.

Devin Peterson, a twenty-two year old, allegedly committed suicide with a state trooper's shotgun following his alleged theft of a police cruiser, another car and a police chase on Interstate 80 in Nevada on Wednesday.

A seventy-year-old man from Renton, Washington died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound on Wednesday shortly after he called 911 to tell the dispatcher he was planning to take his own life.

On Wednesday, three people died in a murder-suicide in Oxnard, California that involved at least one gun. The deceased included two women and the suspected male shooter.

On Thursday, Lee Vining Fire Chief Tom Strazdims reported an Oregon man likely commited suicide by shooting himself in the parking lot of the town's visitor center.

Also on Thursday, the body of a suspected gunman accused of killing a call center CEO and injuring a lawyer was found dead of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mesa, Arizona. Police had been searching for the man since Wednesday following the shooting at a mediation session over a lawsuit.

In another reported suicide on Thursday, this one in the Baltimore area, a man was found dead in the parking lot of the Timonium gun range of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

In Radcliff, Kentucky on Thursday, alleged burglar Michael Strand exchanged gunfire with police after they attempted to bring him in for questioning. Following a lull of approximately an hour, police entered the apartment and found the man dead from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In Medina, Ohio on Thursday, United States Marine Andrew Baumgartner, who served in Afghanistan and had been discharged several months ago, got into an altercation with Sgt. Scott Schmoll after Schmoll felt a gun on Baumgartner's person. Following this, Baumgartner hid in nearby woodlands, emerged to knock on the door of a local home to tell the resident he had been hit by a car, only to disappear into the woods again. He subsequently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police discovered his body alongside items they believed he had stolen.

The problem of suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound is recognized by some gun groups. The Royal Oak shooting range in Michigan stopped renting guns this week following after twelve people having attempted to kill themselves with guns rented from the range since 2001 (five of them were successful). Three of the incidents occurred in the past four months, with two of them fatal.

These suicides take place against a backdrop of gun control discussion in the United States Congress, where former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and an NRA spokesperson appeared before the body this week to discuss the possible need for stricter gun control laws.

According to the Maine Center of Disease Control and Prevention, guns are used in 85% of male suicides in the state. Debate has continued this week in the state about gun control as it relates to suicide. Iran's PressTV published an opinion piece claiming that for every gun owner who uses their weapon in their home for self-defense, there are eleven suicide attempts involving a weapon. In the United States, veterans are more likely to use guns in acts of suicide than acts of homicide. The number of daily suicides by veterans is currently 22.

Guns are often used in suicide attempts, with PolitiFact reporting on Wednesday that there were 4,643 non-fatal gun involved suicide attempts in 2010. This number contradicts testimony by Wayne LaPierre of NRA to the United States Congress regarding unintentional deaths cause by firearms as LaPierre cited 600 deaths. Australia instituted tougher gun control regulations in 1996, including gun buy back programs. According to a study by Andrew Leigh of Australian National University and Christine Neill of Wilfrid Laurier University, these programs correlate to an 80% drop in suicides involving guns at a time when other methods of suicide remained consistent.

Similar research done in the United States has similar results. A 1991 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found stricter gun control in the District of Columbia was a likely cause of a reduction in the number of suicides by gun shot in D.C. compared to surrounding areas.

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Sources [edit]

"Radcliff man who died after exchanging gunfire with police killed himself, police say" — The Courier-Journal, February 1, 2013
Carrie Wells and Jessica Anderson. "Man committed suicide at Timonium gun range, police say" — Baltimore Sun, February 1, 2013
Bob Jones. "Surveillance video shows Marine, burglary suspect trying to get into Granger Twp home before suicide" — ABC 5, February 1, 2013
Robert Long. "Why isn’t suicide prevention part of Maine’s public safety debate?" — Bangor Daily News, February 1, 2013
Dave Gilson. "10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down" — PressTV, February 1, 2013
Andrea Chang. "After Jody Sherman death, tech community seeks dialogue on suicide" — Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2013
"Greensburg Police Lt.'s Death Ruled Suicide" — Eagle Country 99.3 FM, January 31, 2013
Greg Jaffe,. "VA study finds more veterans committing suicide" — Washington Post, January 31, 2013
Benett Kessler. "Report of attempted suicide in visitors center parking lot in Lee Vining" — Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News, January 31, 2013
Associated Press. "Suspected Phoenix gunman found dead of apparent suicide" — Oregon Live, January 31, 2013
Patrick Clark. "After Suicide of Jody Sherman, A Call to Talk About the Emotional Strain of Life at Startups" — BeatBeat, January 31, 2013
Times staff writer. "Neighbors heard shots during apparent murder-suicide in Oxnard" — Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2013
Catherine Kavanaugh. "Royal Oak gun range changes policy to stop walk-in suicides" — Daily Tribune, January 31, 2013
Associated Press. "100 lbs. of pot worth $495k in Nevada suicide case" — Watertown Daily Times, January 31, 2013
Eric Anderson. "Elmont Couple Found Dead After Murder-Suicide" — Long Island Media, Inc., January 30, 2013
Charles County Sheriff's Office. "Attempt Murder/Suicide In Waldorf" — thebaynet, January 30, 2013
"As a result of National Rifle Association and other private-sector (safety-education) programs, fatal firearms accidents are at the lowest level in 100 years." — PolitiFact, January 30, 2013
Jenny Manning. "Renton Man Found Dead At Heritage Park Of Apparent Self-Inflicted Gun Shot" — Renton Patch, January 30, 2013
Mike Frassinelli and Brendan Kuty. "18 days before apparent murder-suicide, Facebook post portrayed Parsippany lovers" — Star-Ledger, January 29, 2013
"Assistant U.S. Attorney Alston Badger’s death ruled suicide" — The Post and Courier, January 29, 2013
"Stephen King says since Australia passed tough gun laws, "homicides by firearm have declined almost 60 percent."" — PolitiFact, January 25, 2013
"Washington, D.C., had some of the strictest gun laws in the country. And when they passed them, violence skyrocketed." — PolitiFact, January 17, 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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US astronaut Neil Armstrong dies

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 10:51:01 GMT

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Space

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26 August 2012: US astronaut Neil Armstrong dies

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Armstrong in his space suit before the launch of Apollo 11.
Image: NASA.

Former American astronaut Neil Armstrong has died at the age of 82, due to complications following heart bypass surgery earlier this month. He is known as the first person to walk on the moon when commander of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the moon.

Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. On March 16, 1966, he became the first American civilian to orbit Earth whilst onboard Gemini VIII with crewmate Davis R. Scott. Following Gemini VIII's docking with another spacecraft in orbit, it began tumbling out of control due to a faulty thruster. Armstrong used an emergency set of thrusters to regain control; Gemini VIII then landed in the Pacific Ocean after ten hours of flight.

Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, with Armstrong and crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Whilst Collins stayed in lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20; On touchdown, Armstrong said: "Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed". Upon stepping on to the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969, he famously said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." The landing, and subsequent moonwalk, was watched by half a billion people around the world. Armstrong and Aldrin spent approximately two hours walking on the lunar surface before lifting off for Apollo 11's return to Earth on July 24.

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Neil Armstrong describes the Moon's surface before setting foot on it.
Video: NASA.

Armstrong later spent a few years as a NASA manager. Also teaching engineering at the University of Cincinnati, he was appointed to panels investigating the Apollo 13 and Challenger disasters. His first wife, Jan, divorced him in 1995; he married Carol Knight in 1999, and lived in Cincinnati.

After Armstrong's death, his family released a statement saying, "While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves."

Buzz Aldrin released a statement on his website paying tribute to Armstrong: "I will miss my friend Neil as I know our fellow citizens and people around world will miss this foremost aviation and space pioneer."

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Sources [edit]

"US astronaut Neil Armstrong dies, first man on Moon" — BBC News Online, August 25, 2012
"Astronaut Neil Armstrong Dies Aged 82" — Sky News, August 25, 2012
Ned Potter. "Neil Armstrong Dead; Apollo 11 Astronaut Was First on Moon" — ABC News, August 25, 2012
"Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, dies" — CNN, August 25, 2012
Buzz Aldrin. "Buzz Aldrin’s Official Statement on the Passing of Neil Armstrong" — August 25, 2012

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FanFiction.Net adult content purge felt across fandom two weeks on

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:50:36 GMT

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

FanFiction.Net's purge removed stories from Harry Potter, Naruto, Twilight, Hetalia - Axis Powers.
Image: alixe75 on ffdotnetrants.

Two weeks ago, FanFiction.Net purged the site of much of the adult content, surprising many fan fiction readers and writers; leaving several archives on the Internet unprepared for a deluge of new users, problems continuing to this day. FanFiction.Net removed around 62,000 stories after a change allowing writers under the age of eighteen to register.

FanFiction.Net spelled out the reasons for their purge on the front page of the site:

“	Please note we would like to clarify the content policy we have in place since 2002. FanFiction.Net follows the Fiction Rating system ranging from Fiction K to Fiction M. Although Fiction Ratings goes up to Fiction MA, FanFiction.Net since 2002 has not allowed Fiction MA rated content which can contain adult/explicit content on the site. FanFiction.Net only accepts content in the Fiction K through Fiction M range. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA and has not been allowed on the site since 2002.	”
	— FanFiction.Net

According to alixe75 on LiveJournal's ffdotnetrants, FanFiction.Net deleted 2,002 Naruto stories, 1,497 Twilight stories, 1,256 Harry Potter stories, 670 Glee stories, 364 Inuyasha stories, 364 Hetalia - Axis Powers stories, 282 Kingdom Hearts, 213 Pokemon stories, 143 Yu-Gi-Oh stories, 127 Dragon Ball Z stories and 47 Doctor Who stories amongst others. rahirah on Dreamwidth provided another statistic, "Approximately 11% of all BtVS [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] stories were zapped. That may not sound like much, but FFnet is big - that comes to thousands of stories." feckless-muse on Dreamwidth reported the purge included banning users. Despite the purge, Alexa reports no drop in traffic to FanFiction.Net.

1 Critics United
2 Fan response
3 Fan fiction archives
4 Sources
5 External links

Critics United [edit]

Note — June 20, 2012

Critics United is a subcommunity of FanFiction.Net users; this was not clearly explained in the article.

Some in the fan community blamed Critics United for the purge, and a few Tumblr users created a group to fight them. The group earned a mention on the Huffington Post.

According to feckless-muse, "people reporting these so called site violations are literally ganging up on the writers and leaving comments like the ones below en masse. The poor writers are spending hours (and in some cases months and years for ongoing fics) on their works only to be abused, bullied and then having their work deleted without notice." With these sentiments being echoed on LiveJournal, jessioriginal reported threats from the group at the same time the purge took place.

“	It's been suggested that part of the reason behind the purge were the mass-reports coming from a trollish community on FanFiction that felt they have the right to judge which stories do and do not belong on the site. Unfortunately, they are not alone. My Fatal Fanfiction story—a Fatal Frame parody revolving around the recent purge—was targeted by them. Apparently the short prologue with references to the characters, story, and setting of the game was enough for them to declare my story an original work. They have since demanded I change it or remove it, threatened me, they've reported my story, and they keep leaving those kind of reviews.	”
	— jessioriginal on LiveJournal

Two months ago, David Anderson, of Dudley, Massachusetts, created a petition condemning Critics United which drew increased interest in light of the purge. By earlier today, 224 people signed it including Danny Kleemann of Peoria, Illinois, Brian George O'Connor of Chatham, New York, Tegan Chin of Arlington, Texas, Holly Reichert of Euclid, Ohio, Claire Owen of Houston, Texas, Joanna Zhang of Charlotte, North Carolina, Amber Keystone of Monroe, Louisiana, Lily Hamilton of Charlotte, North Carolina, Allison Law of Charlotte, North Carolina and Erica Winchester of Clinton, Massachusetts who all signed today. Earlier this week, Timothy Hall signed, saying "The profiles are being deleted due to either content violations or inactivity, including the stories in connection with the profiles. Most of profile and story deletions are because of depicted content about adult or violent themes being detailed beyond its 'suggestion' even in the slightest manner."

So great was one person's anger, they created a page about Critics United on Encyclopedia Dramatica several months ago. People mentioned this and praised people trolling Critics United on Tumblr and LiveJournal as recently as yesterday.

Correction — Jun 18, 2012

the Critics United page on Encyclopedia Dramatica was created on June 6, after the purge.

Fan response [edit]

A scene from Mary West's mature rated Harry Potter fan fiction "Time for a Change"
Image: SSHGGillian.

Twelve days ago, a FanFiction.Net contributor named Charlotte Weatherly created a petition on Change.org requesting FanFiction.Net stop its own destruction by purging stories. Earlier today, the count of signatories stood at over 30,000, many offering their perspectives on why the site acted in error. Kara Bularzik's comment, liked over 270 times, said: "... I cannot believe so much valuable work is being trashed because it doesn't fit parameters that have not been strictly enforced since they were put into action. [...] What is the point of a ratings system if anything disagreeable is automatically purged? [...] I am truly disheartened, and I hope either a different course of action is taken or I wish ff.net and its future users (all within the PG reading range) the best as I sadly look for a site where one can truly 'unleash their imagination'." Zaynab Quadri's comment, liked 88 times, expressed a similar sentiment: "Writers give warnings when they write explicit content, so if anyone's reading anything they shouldn't be, that's their own fault. Let the writers have freedom of speech." Lex Black's comment, liked by 30 people, said: "Some of the best stories are being threatened by this. This rule hasn't been inforced^[sic] for ten years and limiting creativity now is ridicules.^[sic] If it upsets you, then be MATURE enough to not read it."

People continue to support the petition, with Maria Adams of San Diego, California, Matthew Sandrock of Santa Maria, California, Jessie Brown of Clinton, Mississippi, Cynthia Mora of Renton, Washington, Anis Rosdi of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, James Clarke of Cedar Point, North Carolina, Blair Ritchie of Ashland, Oregon, Rianna McMahan of Auburn, Washington, Hannah Johnson of Tuolumne, California and C.J. Concepcion of Goodyear, Arizona signing today. Discussion of the petition on a FanFiction.Net message board generated over 3,000 messages, and is still active.

On Dreamwidth, members urged FanFiction.Net users to back up their work lest it be deleted. Users auronlu, vieralynn and others encouraged people to spread the word of possible deletion.

The purge story was picked up by Hannah Ellison at the Huffington Post two days ago, who compared the FanFiction.Net purge to a book burning. Ellison went on to say, "[t]hese unpaid authors are at the mercy of the sites willing to house their work and as such must adhere to the lines drawn in the very murky sand of copyright law. Some of these authors spent months writing and editing novel length works to then have them deleted entirely, as if they were something with no artistic or cultural worth; artefacts that either follow the rules or don't." Ellison's post earned 1,900+ Facebook likes, with 50 comments on the article.

Ellison's story appeared on several Tumblr posts. xmarisolx posted her response on Tumblr a day ago, claiming FanFiction.Net was shooting itself in the foot, driving traffic to other archives such as An Archive of Our Own (AO3). candycanine, quoting Heinrich Heine, supported Ellison's book burning reference.

Talking to Wikinews, former fan fiction writer and current professional writer Angelia Sparrow indicated a lack of surprise over FanFiction.Net's actions saying, "Ten years ago they purged all the NC-17 stuff. Sounds like they just did a cleanup again. We're getting more puritanical everywhere, you know? All Romance Ebooks is strongly limiting what romances can contain."

Long time Thunderbirds fan fiction writer Tikatu told Wikinews, "The content purge hasn't bothered me at all, really, though I've been lurking around on ff.net's Critics United. They've been blamed for all the deleted stories -- never mind that they don't have enough people to have reported that many fics."

Anime fan fiction writer and artist Hurricane Islandheart defended FanFiction.Net's actions, saying "All FF.net was doing was catching up on their site maintenance and reports - people just freaked because they'd finally been caught breaking the rules." She reinforced this idea on her LiveJournal.

“	I think that's what finally killed me about fandom. That bullshit merited coverage by the Huffington Post, and all that happened was FF.net finally decided to deal with some reports and enforce their rules for a little while again. They've done this before. We did it at MediaMiner, when that site was actively moderated - reports would pile up in slack time, when all the mods were busy, and when we'd finally get a chance to look at them, some would take it as a "sudden attack" on their fics. No, it's not a "sudden attack" - you got away with breaking the rules for a while, but now, between some mods who have time on their hands and a group targeting shitty fics, they finally got caught. (For the record - my fics flagrantly disregarded the rules at FF.net, and for the last few years I had a notice up on my profile in boldface that said as much and that I was aware of it. I was never, ever, reported; I never, ever had CU comment on any of my fics; I never, ever had FF.net staff remove them. I finally got sick of the site and took them down myself a few days ago, since I've decided to make my move to AO3 permanent.)	”
	— Hurricane Islandheart on LiveJournal

Fan fiction archives [edit]

In response to the purge, users flocked to other sites and archives. Recommendations for sites included DreamWidth, LiveJournal, YourFanFiction.Com and An Archive of Our Own (AO3).

AO3 experienced down time as the site's servers could not handle the additional load from FanFiction.Net users, generating a number of 50 errors at the height of the problem. The site's parent organization, Organization for Transformative Works, not mentioning server problems on their Dreamwidth account, updated their website six days ago to discuss the situation.

“	This sudden and dramatic expansion has come about largely as a result of changes on Fanfiction.net, who have recently introduced more stringent enforcement of their policies relating to explicit fanworks which have resulted in some fans no longer being able to host their works there. One of the primary reasons the AO3 was created was in order to provide a home for fanworks which were at risk of deletion elsewhere, so we're very keen to welcome these new users, but in the short term this does present us with some challenges!	”
	— Lucy Pearson, Organization for Transformative Works

The traffic increase came on the back of Quantcast-reported increase earlier in the year, 57,201 visitors at the end of April, up from 40,560 at the end of March. Alexa reported a big drop in traffic for the archive the day of the purge and traffic has subsequently remained at above average before FanFiction.Net purge levels. This matches other organizationally reported increase. AO3 took measures to reduce server load such as disabling tag filtering, improving statistics caching, turning off alphabetical listing of users, suspending the ability for people to request invitations to and from the site. Even before FanFiction.Net's adult content purge, AO3's invitation code queue exceeded 17,000. Before the site closed registration, Tumblr user alien-rz requested a code and received a confirmation e-mail saying "You’ve been added to our queue! Yay! We estimate that you’ll receive an invitation around 2012-12-13."

FanFiction.Net users like fujiwara-nanaho registered for Dreamwidth in case FanFiction.Net removed their content.

No problems were reported by Hurricane Islandheart on MediaMiner.Org, an anime-centric fan fiction site popular in the mid-'00s that is largely absent of moderators at the moment. The site saw an increase in traffic earlier this year, going from 24,156 at end-December, according to Quantcast, to 58,558 visitors at the end of March this year.

According to Tikatu, a member of FanFiction.net Writers Unite, an eFiction software based site, YourFanFiction.com went down under the additional traffic strain. According to Tumblr users, having been created in response to the purge, the site swelled to over a thousand users including a number of Tumblr users like bluelilacflame, konata-the-espeon and getwhatyouwantorjustgetold.

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Sources [edit]

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

Hannah Ellison. "The Book Burning That Wasn't: Thousands of Works of Fiction Destroyed and No One Pays Attention" — Huffington Post, June 14, 2012
Lucy Pearson. "Update on AO3 performance issues" — Organization for Transformative Works, June 11, 2012

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Super Tuesday 2012: 'Joe the Plumber' wins GOP congressional primary

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:53:40 GMT

Friday, March 9, 2012

U.S. Politics

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On Super Tuesday, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, known more commonly as 'Joe the Plumber', won the U.S. Republican Party primary for Ohio's 9th congressional district, which represents Toledo. He defeated real estate agent Steve Kraus, 51 percent to 48 percent, and will now face incumbent Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur, who has held the seat since 1983.

'Joe the Plumber' speaks in 2008.
Image: Rona Proudfoot.

Wurzelbacher received notice during the 2008 presidential election, when he asked a question about taxes to future president Barack Obama. Obama, who at the time was the Democratic Party presidential nominee, famously responded, "when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody." After this, Republican presidential nominee John McCain used Wurzelbacher as a representation of the average American worker, and attacked Obama's response as socialist.

	I'm not working for the Republican Party or Republicans, I'm working for the American people, and that includes all of us.
—'Joe the Plumber'

Following the exchange, students from the University of Massachusetts tried to draft Wurzelbacher to run against Kaptur in the 2010 congressional race, calling on him to "Plunge the crap out of Washington." He initially expressed interest, but at that time did not run. In 2011, though, he announced his candidacy for 2012.

In the Republican primary, Wurzelbacher out-raised his opponent $60,000 to $10,000 and benefited from the endorsement of former 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. Wurzelbacher said of partisanship, "Democrat, Republican...it's something that the media uses to try to divide us as Americans...I'm not working for the Republican Party or Republicans, I'm working for the American people, and that includes all of us."

In the Democratic primary, Kaptur defeated Representative Dennis Kucinich, who challenged her after his district was redrawn. Kaptur argues that Wurzelbacher is "going to have his own issues dealing with the electorate as he moves forward...I think the nature of the District is quite different than his value set."

Wurzelbacher concedes that he lives in a largely Democratic and pro-Union community, but says the people are "all really good friends of mine...we agree on a lot of things, and ultimately what it comes down to [is] we want jobs, we want security, we want stability."

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Sources [edit]

Kevin Niedermier (WKSU). "Rep. Kaptur Faces Joe The Plumber In November Race" — NPR, March 8, 2012
Amy Bingham. "'Joe The Plumber' Snags GOP Nod in Ohio Congressional Election" — ABC News, March 7, 2012
Reid Pillifant. "'Joe the Plumber' files for a congressional run" — Capital New York, October 10, 2011
Scott McKimmy. "Web site urges ‘Joe the Plumber’ to run for Congress" — Toledo Free Press, October 19, 2008

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Super Tuesday 2012: Mitt Romney wins six of ten GOP contests

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:56:57 GMT

Thursday, March 8, 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 Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won six of the ten U.S. Republican Party (GOP) presidential primary contests as part of Super Tuesday. Of the remaining four, former Senator Rick Santorum won three while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won one. Representative Ron Paul of Texas did not win any contests, but finished second in three.

Mitt Romney stands with his wife Ann before delivering his victory speech.
Image: Ryan Hutton/Boston University News Service.

Romney scored victories in Ohio, Vermont, Massachusetts, Virginia, Idaho, and Alaska. In a victory speech to supporters in his home state of Massachusetts, he remarked, "tonight, we've taken one more step towards restoring the promise of tomorrow." He focused his attacks on President Barack Obama, stating "this president's run out of ideas. He's run out of excuses. And in 2012, we're going to get him out of ... the White House." Romney now has 415 of the 1144 delegates necessary to secure the GOP nomination.

Ohio had the closest margin with Romney defeating the second place Rick Santorum by roughly 10,000 votes or 0.8 percent. While Romney won largely urban and affluent counties, Santorum, of nearby Pennsylvania, won a majority of the counties with rural and blue-collar voters.

Despite the loss, Santorum was able to pull out victories in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and North Dakota, and now has a total of 176 delegates. He told supporters in Steubenville, Ohio, "We need...someone who learned what America was about by growing up in communities just like this...". Referencing his opponents, he argued "in this race, there is only one candidate who can go up on the most important issue of the day and make the case, because I’ve never been for an individual mandate at a state or federal level."

Newt Gingrich won his home state of Georgia, which had the most delegates available, increasing his total to 105. He vowed to remain in the race and thanked his supporters, proclaiming, "we are not going to allow the elite to decide who we are allowed to nominate...the national elite — especially in the Republican Party — had decided that a Gingrich presidency was so frightening that they had to kill it early. But, you, you wouldn’t let them do it." He compared the campaign to the The Tortoise and the Hare fable, "There are lots of bunny rabbits that run through. I am the tortoise. I just take one step at a time."

Ron Paul finished second in North Dakota, Virginia, and Vermont, and was a close third in Idaho and Alaska. He now has 47 delegates. In his speech to supporters, he said, "if you look at the candidates today, there is very little difference, except for one. ... the rest of the candidates support the status quo."

1541 delegates remain up for grabs. The next contests will take place on Saturday in Kansas, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands.

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Sources [edit]

"Ohio Republican Primary" — The New York Times, March 8, 2012 (date of access)
"State-by-State Primary Results" — The New York Times, March 8, 2012 (date of access)
"Republican Delegate Count" — The New York Times, March 8, 2012 (date of access)
Amanda Zamora. "Newt Gingrich’s Super Tuesday speech (full transcript, video)" — The Washington Post, March 6, 2012
Amanda Zamora. "Rick Santorum’s Super Tuesday speech (full transcript, video)" — The Washington Post, March 6, 2012
Kenneth W. Smith Jr.. "Ron Paul: Super Tuesday speech (Transcript, video)" — The Washington Post, March 6, 2012
Mitt Romney. "Mitt Romney's Super Tuesday Victory Speech" — Real Clear Politics, March 6, 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.
Image: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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.

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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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Three students killed in Ohio school shooting, others injured

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:52:33 GMT

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Crime and law

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Authorities have confirmed that three students have died following a shooting which occurred at an Ohio school early on Monday. The third, Demetrius Hewlin, died Tuesday morning, according to media sources. The alleged gunman is identified as T.J. Lane, a sophomore at the high school in the town of Chardon, population about 5,000. Witnesses report the event began in the school's cafeteria around 7:40am on Monday.

School officials placed the school on lockdown during the incident, according to a witness. Reportedly a teacher acted to protect one injured student by dragging him into his classroom. The alleged gunman's family stated through an attorney their sorrow over the events. They also extended their condolences to the other students' families.

The town's police chief said the gunman's motives are unclear. Prosecutor David Joyce told reporters he does not anticipate the case remaining in the juvenile court system. The school is set to resume classes again on Friday, after staff, students and parents have had opportunity to receive counseling.

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Sources [edit]

"Prosecutor: Suspect admitted to shootings at school" — CNN, February 28, 2012
Jess Bidgood and Sabrina Tavernise. "School Shooting in Ohio Leaves 1 Dead and 4 Wounded" — The New York Times, February 27, 2012

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New York police confirm cocaine shipment seizure at UN Headquarters

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:58:15 GMT

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Crime and law

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File photo of United Nations Headquarters, taken in 2006.
Image: World Island Info.

Spokespersons for New York City Police Department [NYPD] and Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations [UN], Thursday released statements confirming a police seizure of a shipment of two bags, containing sixteen kilograms of cocaine, at the mail intake centre for the United Nations Headquarters on January 16.

The shipment consisted of fourteen hollowed-out books with the cocaine inside, according to ABC News Australia. Although the shipment, which had been sent from Mexico City, Mexico via Cincinnati, Ohio, had no addresses or names on it, it was stamped with an apparently low quality copy of the United Nations logo.

Speaking on behalf of Ki-moon, Martin Nesirky stated: "The United Nations nor anyone located in the United Nations was the intended recipient of this delivery and the bags were not UN bags, diplomatic or other". Gregory B. Starr, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security at the United Nations, also believed that there was "nothing to indicate that this had anything to do with anybody at the United Nations"; they "did not come from a United Nations facility", according to Starr.

Paul Browne, NYPD deputy commissioner, said that the bags were "obviously fakes". According to RT, the shipment was supposedly sent to the UN Headquarters unintentionally. "Somebody in Mexico is probably in trouble now having let a significant amount of cocaine out of their possession," Browne stated. Browne believed the shipment was "possibly ... never meant to have left Mexico at all".

Starr explained that they appeared to have been disguised as diplomatic bags, which have immunity from customs examination. Starr illustrated the differences between the shipment bag sent to the UN and a genuine UN diplomatic bag to journalists, concluding: "This did not come from a United Nations facility". According to The Guardian, a genuine UN diplomatic bag would be of a different material and a greater size than those sent to the UN.

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Sources [edit]

PTI. "16kg cocaine worth $2m seized at UN" — The Times of India, January 28, 2012
"Wrong addressee? Large stash of cocaine arrives at UN HQ" — RT (TV network), January 27, 2012
AP. "Cocaine seized at UN in New York" — The Guardian, January 26, 2012

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Ohio executes two-time murderer

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:14:52 GMT

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Crime and law

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17 April 2013: High Court of Australia dismisses appeal against conviction, compulsory voting

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Lethal injection chamber at San Quentin

Ohio inmate Clarence Carter, 49, was executed on Tuesday for beating to death a fellow prisoner in a jail house argument over what to watch on TV, the third inmate to be executed this year by the state.

He died at 10:25 a.m. by lethal injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, the second inmate in the U.S. executed using the surgical sedative pentobarbital as a stand-alone execution drug. He had been scheduled to die in 2007, but a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of lethal injection prevented his death sentence from being carried out at the time.

Carter was incarcerated at the Hamilton County Jail Annex in Cincinnati, Ohio, awaiting sentencing for the aggravated murder of Michael Hadnot, when he beat fellow inmate Johnny Allen in December 1988. Allen was jailed on a theft charge. Investigators said Carter beat, kicked, and chocked Allen over a 25 minute period. Carter had punched Allen earlier that month in a dispute over a TV channel. Allen died two weeks later from his injuries.

Prison officials reported that Carter was calm and seemed in good spirits the day before, visiting with his brother, his lawyers and two imams. He was reported to have eaten dates and tuna sandwiches as his last meal before being escorted to the execution chamber.

In the execution chamber he apologized to the family of his victim, stating, "I'd like to say I'm sorry for what I did, especially to his mother. I ask God for forgiveness and them for forgiveness."

Carter knelt and prayed briefly just before the execution.

His brother and a lawyer witnessed the execution on his behalf. No members of the victim's family were there.

Only two media representatives attended the execution, the lowest number since Ohio resumed the death penalty in 1999; five people protested outside the prison walls.

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Sources [edit]

Associated Press. "Ohio executes man who killed inmate after TV spat" — MSNBC, April 12, 2011
United Press International. "Ohio executes jailhouse killer Carter" — UPI.com, April 12, 2011

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Ohio man dies after sitting in chair for two years

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:44:26 GMT

Friday, April 1, 2011

Health

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A morbidly obese Ohio man died Wednesday after being found unconscious in his home several days earlier. The man had been sitting in a chair for two years and was physically fused to it when he was discovered by two roommates, one of which was his girlfriend.

Authorities who arrived at the house in Bellaire reported seeing the man sitting amidst his own urine and feces, which were infested with maggots. The man's skin had become attached to the recliner's cloth, said law enforcement officers, one of whom had to dispose of his uniform after responding to the home. In order to transport the man to the hospital, officers had to carve out a portion of the wall.

Identified as 43-year-old Richard Hughes, the man died after being taken to Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia. The residence's landlord said Hughes, weighing 348 pounds (157 kilograms), began sitting in the chair after his knees started to hurt, and refused to get up. Hughes' girlfriend told police that she fed him because he was unable to move around.

Jim Chase, a city official, called the room where the man stayed "very filthy, very deplorable" and said it was "unbelievable that somebody live[d] in conditions like that."

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Sources [edit]

Associated Press. "Obese man in recliner for 2 years is cut out of US home, dies at hospital" — The Canadian Press, March 31, 2011
Lucas I. Alpert. "Obese man cut from chair he was stuck in for 2 years dies; skin fused with maggot-infested fabric" — New York Daily News, March 31, 2011
QMI Agency. "Obese man dies after found fused to chair" — Toronto Sun, March 30, 2011
Jessica Hopper. "Morbidly Obese Man Dies After Two Years in the Same Chair" — ABC News, March 30, 2011

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Homeless Columbus, Ohio man with 'god-given gift of voice' becomes YouTube sensation

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:14:48 GMT

Friday, January 7, 2011

Internet

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Ted Williams, a former radio announcer from Columbus in Ohio, United States, has become a YouTube sensation after a video of the homeless man talking to a local reporter was uploaded onto the website.

In the YouTube video, he can be seen standing on the exit ramp of Interstate 71 at Hudson Street, holding a sign claiming that he has "the god-given gift of a great voice" and that he had "fallen on hard times", as well as speaking to Doral Chenoweth III from daily newspaper The Columbus Dispatch. Upon being asked to "[s]ay something with that great radio voice", he replied: "When you're listening to nothing but the best of oldies, you're listening to Magic 98.9. Thank you so much. God bless you. Thank you. And we'll be back with more right after these words."

In the video, Williams also mentions how "alcohol and drugs and a few other things became a part of my life and I got two years clean and I'm trying hard to get it back." This video achieved in excess of eleven and a half million YouTube views since the video was uploaded on January 3, 2011. However, the original video has now been removed because of a copyright violation claim made by The Dispatch. Copies of the clip are currently still available to view online.

	I'm just so, so happy. I had no idea that something like this would have ever happened to me. It's phenomenal.
—Ted Williams

Subsequently, Williams received interest from companies wishing to offer occupations, including Ohio basketball team Cleveland Cavaliers — who offered a house to him — and NFL Films, according to the Associated Press. Stating that "It's that voice," Kevin McLoughlin described: "When I heard him tell his story, I said, 'That's what we do. This guy can tell a story.' Somehow, some way, I need to get a demo with him." McLoughlin also believed that "[t]he man deserves a second chance". Kraft Cheese have also made an announcing job offer to him.

When asked about the effect of this YouTube sensation in an interview with CBS News, he exclaimed: "It's just sensational for one, it's numbing for another, overwhelming ... It's just amazing. ... Well, I've already been characterized as Susan Boyle. ... I'm just so, so happy. ... I had no idea that something like this would have ever happened to me. It was like, almost, winning the Mega Ball lottery. ... It's phenomenal."

Having attempted to make contact with his mother, aged 92, in New York, Williams met with her for the first time in approximately twenty years in a hotel in New York, New York on Thursday, according to msnbc.com. He greeted his mother by repeatedly saying the words: "Hi, mommy."

This story has been likened to the occasion when Susan Boyle became a YouTube sensation in 2009 after a video of her audition on 'Britain's Got Talent' was uploaded there. The video was viewed over nine million times within the space of five days.

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Sources [edit]

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

Melissa Castellanos. "Ted Williams, Homeless Ex-Radio Announcer, the Next Susan Boyle?" — CBS News, January 5, 2011
Washington Post Staff. "Ted Williams, from homeless to highly-sought for 'made for radio' voice (VIDEO)" — The Washington Post, January 5, 2011

External links [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Ted Williams (announcer)

Original YouTube video of Ted Williams in Columbus, Ohio (Removed due to copyright protection violation)
AP: Raw Video: Homeless Man's Voice Gets National Buzz
Ted Williams interview on The CBS Early Show
msnbc.com: Man with the golden voice reunites with his mother

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Early puberty for US girls raises health risk

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:07:31 GMT

Health

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More information on Health at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Hormones that control puberty. According to a new study, US girls are reaching puberty earlier than in the past 10-30 years.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.

According to a new study, US girls are reaching puberty earlier than ever, a trend that raises some health concerns. The study, which was conducted in New York's East Harlem, the Cincinnati metropolitan area, and the San Francisco Bay area, showed that by age eight, 27% of girls had begun puberty and showed breast development. By age seven, 15% of girls were developing breasts.

There were differences among races. By age 7, 10.4% of white girls had reached puberty, up from 5% in a 1997 study. In contrast, 23.4% of African-Americans and 14.9% of Hispanics had reached puberty. Also, at age 8, 18.3% of whites, 42.9% of blacks and 30.9% of Hispanics had reached puberty.

Girls who reach puberty earlier have a higher chance of engaging in early sexual activity. The study examined 1,239 girls aged between six and eight.

Though the study did not address why US girls were reaching breast development earlier, it found that heavier girls reached puberty earlier. Marcia Herman-Giddens of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has said that the earlier puberty could be related to the rising obesity rate among US citizens. Currently, a third of US children are overweight or obese. Scientists and researchers are also worried about chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and atrazine that could disrupt growth hormones. The chemical industry says that these chemicals are safe and are harmless to humans.

Herman-Giddens also said that it can be confusing to hit puberty at a young age. Girls reaching puberty at a younger age are more likely to attempt suicide. Also, earlier puberty can cause low self-esteem and depression and at adulthood, girls who reached puberty earlier are more likely to have breast cancer and endometrial cancer.

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Sources [edit]

"U.S. girls beginning puberty earlier" — United Press International, August 10, 2010

Liz Szabo. "Early puberty for girls is raising health concerns" — USA Today, August 9, 2010

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Supreme Court of the United States contemplates same-sex marriage

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Car crash kills six in Warren, Ohio

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Reports of at least fourteen dead this week due to gun-related suicides in the United States

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United States re-elects Barack Obama

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US astronaut Neil Armstrong dies

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FanFiction.Net adult content purge felt across fandom two weeks on

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Super Tuesday 2012: 'Joe the Plumber' wins GOP congressional primary

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Super Tuesday 2012: Mitt Romney wins six of ten GOP contests

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Deadly tornadoes blast U.S. Midwest leaving 39 dead

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Three students killed in Ohio school shooting, others injured

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New York police confirm cocaine shipment seizure at UN Headquarters

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Ohio executes two-time murderer

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Ohio man dies after sitting in chair for two years

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Homeless Columbus, Ohio man with 'god-given gift of voice' becomes YouTube sensation

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Early puberty for US girls raises health risk

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