Call Us: +2782 444 YEAH
Cape Town, South Africa

heizundg.com

<div class=Wikinews international report: “Anonymous” holds anti-Scientology protests worldwide
" />

Wikinews international report: “Anonymous” holds anti-Scientology protests worldwide

Posted on by

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Internet group Project Chanology today held protests critical of the Church of Scientology. The protests marked what would have been the 49th birthday of Lisa McPherson, who is claimed to be a victim of the Church of Scientology’s practices. Lisa died in 1995 during a running of what Scientologists refer to as an Introspection Rundown, a procedure intended to help Church members deal with a psychotic or deeply traumatic event.

Protests were planned throughout the day in 14 countries and over 50 different cities. The estimation of total protesters world wide for Feb. 10, 2008 is 9,250 people.

Wikinews had correspondents at a number of protest locations to report on the events. This article was updated throughout the day with reports from around the globe.

Contents

  • 1 Location Reports
    • 1.1 Adelaide, Australia
      • 1.1.1 Adelaide Gallery
    • 1.2 Atlanta, Georgia
      • 1.2.1 Atlanta Photo Gallery
    • 1.3 Austin, Texas
      • 1.3.1 Austin Photo Gallery
    • 1.4 Boston, Massachusetts
      • 1.4.1 Boston Photo Gallery
    • 1.5 Brisbane, Australia
      • 1.5.1 Brisbane Gallery
    • 1.6 Brussels, Belgium
      • 1.6.1 Brussels Photo Gallery
    • 1.7 Buffalo, New York
      • 1.7.1 Buffalo Photo Gallery
    • 1.8 Chicago, Illinois
      • 1.8.1 Chicago Photo Gallery
    • 1.9 Clearwater, Florida
    • 1.10 Dallas, Texas
      • 1.10.1 Dallas Photo Gallery
    • 1.11 Edinburgh, Scotland
      • 1.11.1 Edinburgh Photo Gallery
    • 1.12 Honolulu, Hawaii
      • 1.12.1 Honolulu Photo Gallery
    • 1.13 Houston, Texas
    • 1.14 London, England
      • 1.14.1 London Photo Gallery
    • 1.15 Los Angeles, California
      • 1.15.1 Los Angeles Photo Gallery
    • 1.16 Manchester, England
      • 1.16.1 Manchester Photo Gallery
    • 1.17 Melbourne, Australia
      • 1.17.1 Melbourne Photo Gallery
    • 1.18 Minneapolis, Minnesota
    • 1.19 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
      • 1.19.1 Milwaukee Photo Gallery
    • 1.20 New Orleans, Louisiana
      • 1.20.1 New Orleans Photo Gallery
    • 1.21 New York City, New York
      • 1.21.1 New York City Photo Gallery
    • 1.22 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • 1.23 Phoenix, Arizona
      • 1.23.1 Phoenix Photo Gallery
    • 1.24 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
      • 1.24.1 Pittsburgh Photo Gallery
    • 1.25 Plymouth, England
      • 1.25.1 Plymouth Photo Gallery
    • 1.26 Portland, Oregon
      • 1.26.1 Portland Photo Gallery
    • 1.27 San Antonio, Texas
    • 1.28 San Diego, California
      • 1.28.1 San Diego Photo Gallery
    • 1.29 Seattle, Washington
      • 1.29.1 Seattle Photo Gallery
    • 1.30 Sydney, Australia
      • 1.30.1 Sydney Photo Gallery
    • 1.31 Toronto, Canada
      • 1.31.1 Toronto Photo Gallery
    • 1.32 Vancouver, Canada
    • 1.33 Vienna, Austria
    • 1.34 Winnipeg, Canada
      • 1.34.1 Winnipeg Photo Gallery
    • 1.35 The Internet
      • 1.35.1 Internet gallery
    • 1.36 Other locations
      • 1.36.1 Stories from other locations
  • 2 Related news
  • 3 Sources
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=US Justice Department to withdraw Stevens charges
" />

US Justice Department to withdraw Stevens charges

Posted on by

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The United Stated Department of Justice has asked for corruption charges against former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens to be dropped because evidence was withheld from the defense team by the original prosecutors. The Justice Department has stated that they will not retry Stevens.

In a statement, US Attorney General Eric Holder said, “After careful review, I have concluded that certain information should have been provided to the defense for use at trial. In light of this conclusion, and in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of this particular case, I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial.”

Stevens was convicted in October on seven felony counts of lying on senate disclosure forms about gifts, largely in the form of free renovations to his home, received from an oil service company; his conviction is thought to have been a large factor in his November electoral defeat to former Anchorage mayor Mark Begich, the current junior Senator from Alaska. Stevens immediately appealed his conviction and has maintained his innocence.

The prosecution case has met with a number of procedural difficulties, with US District Court judge Emmet G. Sullivan holding the prosecution in contempt in March for failing to turn over documents concerning an FBI whistleblower’s reports of mishandling of the case. The Justice Department has since replaced the case’s prosecutors, and the allegations of misconduct have held up sentencing from the original convictions.

The filed papers indicate that notes were never turned over from an interview that has the oil contractor estimated the house renovation for far less then he specified at trial.

The original trial team was removed, but in the end Attorney General Eric Holder thought it would be best if the case was dropped. NPR’s source indicate that Holder wish to forcefully transmit that prosecutorial misconduct will not be tolerated. The trying prosecutors are under investigation by the Justice Department for their conduct in the matter.

Stevens, now 85, served as Alaska’s Senator from 1968 to 2009.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=BDSM as business: An interview with the owners of a dungeon
" />

BDSM as business: An interview with the owners of a dungeon

Posted on by

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Torture proliferates American headlines today: whether its use is defensible in certain contexts and the morality of the practice. Wikinews reporter David Shankbone was curious about torture in American popular culture. This is the first of a two part series examining the BDSM business. This interview focuses on the owners of a dungeon, what they charge, what the clients are like and how they handle their needs.

When Shankbone rings the bell of “HC & Co.” he has no idea what to expect. A BDSM (Bondage Discipline Sadism Masochism) dungeon is a legal enterprise in New York City, and there are more than a few businesses that cater to a clientèle that wants an enema, a spanking, to be dressed like a baby or to wear women’s clothing. Shankbone went to find out what these businesses are like, who runs them, who works at them, and who frequents them. He spent three hours one night in what is considered one of the more upscale establishments in Manhattan, Rebecca’s Hidden Chamber, where according to The Village Voice, “you can take your girlfriend or wife, and have them treated with respect—unless they hope to be treated with something other than respect!”

When Shankbone arrived on the sixth floor of a midtown office building, the elevator opened up to a hallway where a smiling Rebecca greeted him. She is a beautiful forty-ish Long Island mother of three who is dressed in smart black pants and a black turtleneck that reaches up to her blond-streaked hair pulled back in a bushy ponytail. “Are you David Shankbone? We’re so excited to meet you!” she says, and leads him down the hall to a living room area with a sofa, a television playing an action-thriller, an open supply cabinet stocked with enema kits, and her husband Bill sitting at the computer trying to find where the re-release of Blade Runner is playing at the local theater. “I don’t like that movie,” says Rebecca.

Perhaps the most poignant moment came at the end of the night when Shankbone was waiting to be escorted out (to avoid running into a client). Rebecca came into the room and sat on the sofa. “You know, a lot of people out there would like to see me burn for what I do,” she says. Rebecca is a woman who has faced challenges in her life, and dealt with them the best she could given her circumstances. She sees herself as providing a service to people who have needs, no matter how debauched the outside world deems them. They sat talking mutual challenges they have faced and politics (she’s supporting Hillary); Rebecca reflected upon the irony that many of the people who supported the torture at Abu Ghraib would want her closed down. It was in this conversation that Shankbone saw that humanity can be found anywhere, including in places that appear on the surface to cater to the inhumanity some people in our society feel towards themselves, or others.

“The best way to describe it,” says Bill, “is if you had a kink, and you had a wife and you had two kids, and every time you had sex with your wife it just didn’t hit the nail on the head. What would you do about it? How would you handle it? You might go through life feeling unfulfilled. Or you might say, ‘No, my kink is I really need to dress in women’s clothing.’ We’re that outlet. We’re not the evil devil out here, plucking people off the street, keeping them chained up for days on end.”

Below is David Shankbone’s interview with Bill & Rebecca, owners of Rebecca’s Hidden Chamber, a BDSM dungeon.

Contents

  • 1 Meet Bill & Rebecca, owners of a BDSM dungeon
    • 1.1 Their home life
  • 2 Operating the business
    • 2.1 The costs
    • 2.2 Hiring employees
    • 2.3 The prices
  • 3 The clients
    • 3.1 What happens when a client walks through the door
    • 3.2 Motivations of the clients
    • 3.3 Typical requests
    • 3.4 What is not typical
  • 4 The environment
    • 4.1 Is an S&M dungeon dangerous?
    • 4.2 On S&M burnout
  • 5 Criticism of BDSM
  • 6 Related news
  • 7 External links
  • 8 Sources
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Sai Baba upsets Telangana activists
" />

Sai Baba upsets Telangana activists

Posted on by

Sunday, February 18, 2007File:Sathyasaibaba.jpg

Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, 81, found himself embroiled in a political row after his recent remarks characterising the partition of the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP) as a “great sin”.

On a recent visit to Chennai he publicly spoke out against the proposed partition of India’s fourth largest state, calling such a move a “mahapapam” (great sin) and claimed that there was no demand from the people to bifurcate AP into Telangana and Andhra states.

The comments caused an outcry among pro-Telangana activists who angrily voiced their protests in street marches and attacks on the Sivam building, the Baba’s temple in Hyderabad, which was staffed by a few devotees. Shouting anti-Sai Baba slogans, the protestors pulled down a large picture of the holy man and trampled on it before taking it outside and setting it on fire. An effigy of the Baba was also reported to have been burnt, and twenty protestors were arrested following several police complaints.

Posted in Uncategorized
Utilizing Digital Printing Services In Wichita Falls, Texas

Utilizing Digital Printing Services In Wichita Falls, Texas

Posted on by

byAlma Abell

Digital Printing Wichita Falls, Texas offers you a wealth of services. You can hire these service providers to supply your business cards, brochures, and marketing materials. Through digital printing you receive high-quality printing and designs that make a lasting impression on your clients. You may include any information you prefer as well as your company logo or photographs of your products. To learn more about digital printing services contact your preferred provider or visit their website.

Advertising Materials

Through your preferred printing services, you can acquire a multitude of advertisement materials. These printing providers will utilize multicolor presses and high-quality printers to produce catalogs, calendars, and other useful tools. These products enable you to present your target audience with a critical information about your services or inventory.

You can generate fast sales by utilizing the products. It is also possible to gain new clients by acquiring professional business cards that you may leave at key locations. These options include your contact information and company name among other details. You may even add a high-quality photograph to these cards.

Printing services also provide wall graphics for your company to promote new services or present new information to clients. You may order vehicle wraps, banners, and window graphics as well. Most printing services allow you to order these items in bulk to ensure that you always have them handy when you need them.

Local Printing Services

Hudson Digital Graphics provides digital printing services and more to individuals and companies. They provide high-quality printing for marketing materials, business cards, and calendars as well as a wealth of other great products. You may additionally acquire window graphics, banners, and vehicle wraps from this provider to spread the word about your company or services. To place an order you may contact this provider locally or visit their website at hudsondigitalgraphics.com.

Summary

Digital Printing Services in Wichita Falls, Texas presents you with a multitude of services that are beneficial to your company. These printing services offer you multi-page brochures, calendars, and catalogs for your products. You may acquire these services and more by contacting your preferred printing provider. Within any design you choose, you may add information related to your business, company logos, and even high-quality photographs. To discover more about these services and products, contact your local digital printing service today.

<div class=Crosswords/2005/February/11
" />

Crosswords/2005/February/11

Posted on by

Friday, February 11, 2005

Feel free to use the Wikimedia sites to solve our Wikinews crossword. Please do not fill it out online as it would spoil it for other people; print it out and fill it in at your own leisure!

< Previous crossword.

Contents

  • 1 Quick crossword
  • 2 Across
  • 3 Down
  • 4 Yesterday’s solution
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Sarkozy appoints François Fillon as Prime Minister of France
" />

Sarkozy appoints François Fillon as Prime Minister of France

Posted on by

Thursday, May 17, 2007File:Francois fillon1.jpg

The new President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy has appointed François Fillon to head the new French government. Fillon’s predecessor Dominique de Villepin stepped down yesterday, and formally handed over the post during a ceremony today.

The nomination did not come as a surprise after the British newspaper the Financial Times had reported on May 8 that Sarkozy had introduced Fillon to Tony Blair in a telephone conversation.

François Fillon (53) has been the political advisor of Sarkozy in the UMP for the past 2 years, and he was Sarko’s campaign leader during the recent presidential elections. Fillon has experience in negotiating with the trade unions, having undertaken controversial reforms of the 35-hour workweek and the pension system. Sarkozy in his inauguration speech on Wednesday reiterated his plans to reform the French labour and social system, and Fillon will have to oversee these reforms as the new Prime Minister. Sarkozy said he wants to make the economy more flexible and lessen social tensions.

I expect I’ll end up being the first French premier with a Welsh wife.

The Guardian reported that Fillon is an Anglophile; his wife Penelope Clarke, with whom he has 5 children, was born in Wales. Ideologically, Fillon is being described as a moderate left-leaning member of the conservative UMP party.

Fillon had his first experience as a minister in 1993 when he became Minister for the Higher education and Research under PM Édouard Balladur. He later became Minister for the Post office, Telecommunications and Space, then Minister for the social Affairs, Work and Solidarity, and finally Minister for national Education, the Higher education and Research. At the university, he studied public law and political sciences.

Sarkozy might announce his cabinet of 15 ministers as early as Friday, half of which are going to be women, he said. Fillon will lead the UMP in the parliamentary elections next month. A poll on Wednesday predicted a 1.5% increase in votes for the UMP, up to 40%, compared to 28% status-quo for the allied socialists.

Reports say that Sarkozy has offered the foreign minister post to Bernard Kouchner, co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières, who is seen as being on the left in French politics.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Nine die in bush-fires in South Australia
" />

Nine die in bush-fires in South Australia

Posted on by

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Nine people have died in bush-fires in the region of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The fire has spread over 40,000 hectares of scrub, bushland and farmland so far and is still burning out of control. Hundreds of firemen have been fighting the fire, but conditions have been difficult because of strong winds and temperatures soaring well over 40 degrees Celsius. Of the nine who have died, eight were attempting to escape the advancing fire in their cars. Four children were among the dead. Locals of some rural towns fled to the ocean to escape the fires. Thousands of sheep and cattle have also been killed in the fires.

Separate fires have also been burning around Mount Osmond and Cleland National Park in the Adelaide hills. No fatalities have been recorded in this region. Fires also burn in country Victoria.

Bush-fires are annual occurrences in Australia, but these fires have been the worst in terms of deaths since the Ash Wednesday fires that killed 28 people in South Australia. Two years ago, over 400 houses were burnt down in a bush fire in the Australian capital city, Canberra.

Posted in Uncategorized
An Experienced Attorney Can Help You Receive Your Disability Benefits In Grand Rapids Mi

An Experienced Attorney Can Help You Receive Your Disability Benefits In Grand Rapids Mi

Posted on by

byAlma Abell

Many of us have heard stories about how difficult someone found it to get Social Security Disability Benefits. The system seems very inconsistent, with bureaucrats approving or denying claims on a whim, apparently. One man with late-stage Parkinson’s Disease might be denied again and again while someone else with what appears to be a far less serious problem is approved on the first application.

The Social Security system is not set up to help people who can’t work to get disability. It appears to be set up to deny disability claims. Most claims are denied the first time. When people question why they were denied, they are told to appeal and that if it is approved at some later date, they will receive a retroactive payment. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help pay the bills today. It’s also critical to appeal the rejection within 60 days of receiving the ‘denied’ notice. If there is a second denial (not at all uncommon), a hearing before an administrative law judge must be requested within a further 60 days.

Most people who are denied do not receive a clear, understandable reason for the denial. That makes it very difficult to know what more is needed. Did the doctor not give enough information? Were more doctor’s reports needed? Was something filled out wrong on the form? When most people have reached the stage of testifying before a judge, they have an attorney assisting them. The experience of an attorney who has successfully handled many disability cases can be invaluable.

Bleakley Law Offices has a team of attorneys who are dedicated to fighting to get their clients the disability benefits that they deserve. It’s difficult enough struggling to survive without being able to work without also being forced to deal with bureaucrats who find it easier to say, “No”. The firm has been focused since 1999 on the legal areas of Social Security disability, Workers’ Compensation, personal injury, accidents and dog bites. Fred Bleakley has almost 30 years of experience fighting for the rights of his clients. If you are frustrated by your failure to get the Disability Benefits in Grand Rapids MI that you deserve, call the firm and find out out how these experienced attorneys can help you.