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Saturday, February 26, 2005

Princeton, New Jersey —According to Ryan Walsh, editor of the websites for both the Princeton Journal of Science and American Foreign Policy, internet news service Wikinews was the topic of a report by Federico Baradello in a Princeton University course on mass media and public policy. The course, offered through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, studies “the impact of policy on the content, presentation, influence, and technology of a rapidly-evolving 21st century news media,” according to the school.

Walsh, currently a junior at Princeton, characterized the report in an email to Wikinews user Pingswept as “great” and added that “everyone in the class seemed to enjoy learning about Wikinews, and Federico was a great speaker.”

According to an email from Baradello, the report, which took place on Monday, 21 February 2005, provided a “basic overview of its history (evolution), ownership, viewership, and position in the news market.” It included a live demonstration of adding new content to Wikinews. The barebones content provided in the demonstration was developed into this article.

Baradello’s report is available on the course’s blog. His final course paper on the decentralization of news gathering includes a case study on Wikinews with commentary from Jimmy Wales and will be available in PDF form by late May.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The San Diego, California suburb of Chula Vista has responded to the recent housing crisis with an aggressive blight control ordinance that compels lenders to maintain the appearance of vacant homes. As foreclosures increase both locally and throughout the United States, the one year old ordinance has become a model for other cities overwhelmed by the problem of abandoned homes that decay into neighborhood eyesores.

Chula Vista city code enforcement manager Doug Leeper told the San Diego Union Tribune that over 300 jurisdictions have contacted his office during the past year with inquiries about the city’s tough local ordinance. Coral Springs, Florida, and California towns Stockton, Santee, Riverside County, and Murietta have all modeled recently enacted anti-blight measures after Chula Vista’s. On Wednesday, 8 October, the Escondido City Council also voted to tighten local measures making lenders more accountable for maintenance of empty homes.

Under the Chula Vista ordinance lenders become legally responsible for upkeep as soon as a notice of mortgage default gets filed on a vacant dwelling, before actual ownership of the dwelling returns to the lender. Leeper regards that as “the cutting-edge part of our ordinance”. Chula Vista also requires prompt registration of vacant homes and applies stiff fines as high as US$1000 per day for failure to maintain a property. Since foreclosed properties are subject to frequent resale between mortgage brokers, city officials enforce the fines by sending notices to every name on title documents and placing a lien on the property, which prevents further resale until outstanding fines have been paid. In the year since the ordinance went into effect the city has applied $850,000 in fines and penalties, of which it has collected $200,000 to date. The city has collected an additional $77,000 in registration fees on vacant homes.

Jolie Houston, an attorney in San Jose, believes “Lenders will respond when it costs them less to maintain the property than to ignore local agency requirements.” Traditionally, local governments have resorted to addressing blight problems on abandoned properties with public funds, mowing overgrown lawns and performing other vital functions, then seeking repayment afterward. Chula Vista has moved that responsibility to an upfront obligation upon lenders.

As one of the fastest growing cities in the United States during recent years, Chula Vista saw 22.6% growth between 2000 and 2006, which brought the city’s population from 173,556 in the 2000 census to an estimated 212,756, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Chula Vista placed among the nation’s 20 fastest growing cities in 2004. A large proportion of local homes were purchased during the recent housing boom using creative financing options that purchasers did not understand were beyond their means. Average home prices in San Diego County declined by 25% in the last year, which is the steepest drop on record. Many homeowners in the region currently owe more than their homes are worth and confront rising balloon payment mortgages that they had expected to afford by refinancing new equity that either vanished or never materialized. In August 2008, Chula Vista’s eastern 91913 zip code had the highest home mortgage default rate in the county with 154 filings and 94 foreclosures, an increase of 154% over one year previously. Regionally, the county saw 1,979 foreclosures in August.

Professionals from the real estate and mortgage industries object to Chula Vista’s response to the crisis for the additional burdens it places on their struggling finances. Said San Diego real estate agent Marc Carpenter, “that kind of measure will add additional costs to banks that have been hit really hard already and ultimately the cost will be transferred down to consumers and investors.” Yet city councils in many communities have been under pressure to do something about increasing numbers of vacant properties. Concentrations of abandoned and neglected homes can attract vandals who hasten the decline of struggling neighborhoods. Jolie Houston explained that city officials “can’t fix the lending problem, but they can try to prevent neighborhoods from becoming blighted.”

CEO Robert Klein of Safeguard, a property management firm, told the Union Tribune that his industry is having difficulty adapting to the rapidly changing local ordinances. “Every day we discover a new ordinance coming out of somewhere”, he complained. Dustin Hobbs, a spokesman from the California Association of Mortgage Bankers agreed that uneven local ordinances are likely to increase the costs of lending. Hobbs advised that local legislation is unnecessary due to California State Senate Bill 1137, which was recently approved to address blight. Yet according to Houston, the statewide measure falls short because it fails to address upkeep needs during the months between the time when foreclosure begins and when the lender takes title.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

The U.S. Army installation at Fort Lee in Virginia will begin using a program called RAPIDGate that will replace passes issued to non-military persons who regularly require access to the facility. The program will take effect July 10, when the practice of issuing 90-day passes to people who present a valid driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance for the vehicle used for access ends. Those passes will be grandfathered out as they expire.

The RAPIDGate program for fast entry into Fort Lee replaces what was once access privileges performed by the installation itself, which came free of cost. The new outsourced program administered by Portland, Oregon-based Eid Passport, Inc. enhances security to the installation by performing background checks. Their service comes at a price. The screening process makes a ten-year felony background check, performs a check against terrorist and sexual offender watch lists, and does a social security cross reference to validate a person’s identity.

Qualified applicants are issued a pass that enables them to bypass inspection pits and use any of the facility’s seven gates for access. Businesses whose employees would benefit by this are required to contact the program provider and have “point of contact” persons who can validate an applicant’s employment. Enrollment in the program costs the business US$199. A pass for each employee of the business costs $159 annually. The pass for employees expires after a year, when a new background check is required by the program.

The program is a voluntary alternative for civilians to conform with new access policies mandated by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army, according to an information pamphlet distributed by the base. A kiosk will be set up at Fort Lee to accept applications that process a photograph, social security number, and fingerprint.

Those without a RAPIDGate pass will need to enter the fort at locations where their vehicle can be inspected. A rigorous inspection involves armed guards asking the driver to place keys on the dash board, pop the hood and the trunk, open the glove box, and have all occupants exit the vehicle and open all doors, including the hood and trunk. While the vehicle is inspected inside, another guard uses a mirror attached to a wand to inspect under the chassis of the vehicle’s undercarriage.

Eid Passport, Inc. specializes in identity authentication and background screening. Fort Lee will be the 12th military installation out of an estimated 250 military installations on U.S soil to implement identity screening as part of new policies mandated by the Department of Defense (DoD).

“The pass contains no personal information,” said David Smith, the director of marketing for Eid Passport. It does contain a barcode which is scanned at entry. The RAPIDGate program database includes a biometric fingerprint that might be checked by the scanning device against the presenter of the pass in times of elevated security. The pass is also embedded with an active RFID transmitter. The pass is scanned on entry to the fort at the gate check point, but not upon exit. If the RFID transmitter works properly, movement into and out of the base will be recorded.

The Fort Lee pamphlet mentions a “a new mandate” by the DoD. That mention appears to be in reference to portion of the language found in an Instruction issued in October last year by the DoD that states, “Implement a verification process, whether through background checks or other similar processes, that enables the U.S. Government to attest to the trustworthiness of DoD contractors and sub-contractors.”

The Instruction stems from a Directive signed by President Bush in August of 2004. That Directive, from the Department of Homeland Security, says in part, “Wide variations in the quality and security of forms of identification used to gain access to secure Federal and other facilities where there is potential for terrorist attacks need to be eliminated.”

Fort Lewis in Washington state was the first U.S. military installation to adopt the RAPIDGate program as a test in 2004. Since then, Fort Sam Houston, Fort Carson, and Fort Bragg, among other installations have adopted the program.

“What happened at Fort Dix, [New Jersey], as we look at it, is a Fort Dix issue,” Laura Arenschield reported spokesman for the 18th Airborne, Tom McCollum, as saying in June. “That should not be taken as an invitation for someone to try it here at Fort Bragg, but (security) is a living, breathing entity. You have to constantly change it just to keep those who are trying to penetrate it on their toes.” The new security measures will go into effect at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which is among the largest of domestic military bases, starting July 8.

Thursday, June 8, 2006

Five South Korean workers have been kidnapped from a natural gas facility operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company in the Nigerian Delta.

A group called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta is claiming responsibility for the attack and kidnappings and says that one kidnapper and at least six Nigerian soldiers were killed on a Nigerian military boat, when gunmen entered the facility. The group’s main demand is the release of a jailed militia leader, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari.

“[The Korean workers] are in good health and have been returned to one of our bases. As long as the units holding these individuals do not come under attack, no harm will come to the prisoners. We do not kill those fortunate to be captured by our fighters,” said the group.

The group also says that they “plan more attacks” on facilities and oil rigs in the near future.

“In the next few weeks our attacks will increase with the destruction of several facilities of crucial importance to the oil industry,” said the group.

One of the kidnapped victims is identified as Park Chang-am.

“I want Dad to come back so we can go fishing,” said the son of Chang-am, Park Myong-il.

Monday, January 10, 2005

Sunday Express, a tabloid newspaper from the UK reported an anonymous source claiming to be an insider to merger talks between Wells Fargo Bank and Barclays Bank.

The rumoured merger would be a radical break in the kinds of mergers Wells Fargo has done and has said it will continue to do (it is assumed that Wells with the higher market capitalization would be the buyer).

Wells Fargo has previously shown no desire to engage in retail banking outside the United States, and has only expanded internationally in its Consumer Finance business and with certain business services.

Wells Fargo currently has a market value of 100 billion, while Barclays is worth 70 billion. The wire services such as Reuters immediately wrote articles about the rumour. Barclays refused to comment on market speculation (it is standard for all corporations to consistently refuse to comment on all merger speculation).

No reporters have so far been able to reach Wells Fargo for comment. It is claimed that talks have been ongoing since October, although they are said to have stalled and then resumed.

There is however the possibility that Wells Fargo and Barclays could be contemplating a business line sale, instead of a full on merger. One possibility is Barclays selling its “Barclays Global Investor” division back to Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo (under old management prior to the 1998 merger of Wells Fargo and Norwest Bank) previously sold its Asset Management (mutual fund) business to Barclays in 1995. Renamed Barclays Global Investors, this business remains headquartered in San Francisco, and still has some connections to Wells Fargo’s new mutual fund business.

Wells Fargo has a long term goal of deriving around 25% of its revenue from investments and insurance; currently it derives around 15 percent of its revenue from this. The purchase of Barclays Global Investor would significantly move Wells Fargo toward achieving this goal.

Another possibility is Barclays buying the private label (or store branded) credit cards of Wells Fargo Financial. In November, Barclays acquired Juniper, a fast growing player in the US private label credit card business.

• Reuters Barclays, Wells Fargo Held Merger Talks 9 January 2005
• Chris Serres. “Big bank seeking bargain?” — Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 9, 2005
• “Barclays, Wells Fargo Held Merger Talks” — ABC/Reuters, January 8, 2005
• “Bank tight-lipped over merger reports” — IrelandOn-Line, January 9, 2005

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Thursday, July 3, 2008

A German shepherd who recovered the last survivor of the September 11, 2001 attacks is to be cloned. His owner, James Symington, a former police officer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada entered an essay writing contest about why his dog should be cloned.

Trakr, the 15 year old German shepherd suffering from degenerative neurological disorder, was the subject of a contest-winning essay about why Trakr should be cloned that was written by Symington. Trakr and Symington received Humanitarian Service Awards from Jane Goodall for their heroics at Ground Zero. Symington is now an actor of film and television, sometimes credited as Peter James.

BioArts International sponsored the essay-writing contest. Five more dogs are to be cloned by its Best Friends Again program. While Trakr will receive free replication, the other dogs will have to participate in an auction with a starting bid of US$100,000.

BioArts is going to send the DNA of the 6 dogs to Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul, South Korea. A Sooam researcher said that the dog should be born in November.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has suffered a major heart attack and had to be hospitalised. He was in Eastern Switzerland when he collapsed.

Later on Sunday he was flown by helicopter to Bern University Hospital where he was placed into an artificial coma. The Finance Minister underwent today a major bypass surgery and doctors say that he will have to remain in Intesive care for at least two weeks. As a result, the cabinet has been reorganised, with Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (Minister for Justice and Police) as the interim Finance Minister and Moritz Leuenberger (Transport Minister) as her deputy.

The Swiss President, Pascal Couchepin, announced that he would not be attending the UN General Assembly in New York and that the Cabinet would hold an extra-ordinary session.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Premiership title hopefuls Chelsea were forced to battle back for a draw earlier today at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham seemed to have a spot in the semifinals of the FA Cup all wrapped up before two late strikes from Lampard and Kalou ruined the day for Spurs. Chelsea were again without the heart of their defence, John Terry, and it showed for much of the game as Tottenham broke through the Blues lines far too easily on several occasions. Chelsea came out to win though, and nearly all their main stars were on the pitch to start the match, including Shevchenko, Ballack, Drogba, and Lampard. Martin Jol’s Tottenham also fielded a strong attacking side, even without the use of the injured Robbie Keane. Defoe, Berbatov, and Lennon lead the way for Spurs instead, with Canadian Paul Stalteri and Englishman Michael Dawson on defence. Tottenham also had to use their backup keeper Radek Cerny, as their number one Paul Robinson is with Keane on the injured list.

Tottenham came out fast and hard, scoring after only 5 minutes. Jermain Defoe cut in from the left and attempted a pass to Hossam Ghaly, but Aaron Lennon pick up the ball instead and sent it in to the Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov. Chelsea keeper Petr Cech sprinted out in an attempt to block, but Berbatov spun and volleyed the ball high into the back of the net, giving the visitors the early lead. Tottenham pressed for a second, and two chances presented themselves to Defoe and Lennon, but the crossesfrom Berbatov and Defoe were out of the players reaches. Chelsea would strike back though, and the goal would be against the run of play. Ballack received a chested down ball from Shevchenko after a Drogba cross, and the German blasted the ball low and hard. The shot was off target, but Frank Lampard was able to react quickly enough to fling out his leg and deflect the ball into the back of the net. Tottenham continued to run at the shaky Chelsea defence, and were rewarded with a goal when Aaron Lennons seemingly harmless cross was knock into Chelsea’s net by Michael Essien, who was attempting to cover back on defence. Tottenham then nearly gave Chelsea an own goal of their own as Michael Dawson knocked Arjen Robbens cross toward his own net, but Paul Stalteri raced back to clear off the line. After the near tying goal, Jose Mourinho made an early change by replacing Paulo Ferreira with Shaun Wright-Phillips. Another defensive error would see Chelsea two behind soon after though, as Ghaly beat three defenders to a high ball, and slotted the ball past Cech from 12 yards out. Chelsea had a few more chances as they tried to grab a lifeline before the break, but nothing truly troubled keeper Cerny.

Chelsea came out of the dressing room much more positively after the break, and had 3 chances to score from 2 Ballack free kicks, and a well taken shot by Lampard. Cerny did well to keep the game at 3-1 however. Spurs nearly put the game away on the counter attack, but Cech came out quick to stop Aaron Lennons run, and Defoe could not find the net after the ensuing cross by Ghaly. Chelsea then made 2 changes in just over 5 minutes, as Boulahrouz and Kalou took to the pitch. On the 70th minute, Chelsea earned a corner, and Arjen Robben stepped up to take the set piece. A goulmouth scramble occurred from the curving corner and the ball landed nicely at Lampard’s feet. The Enlgishman blasted it home, cutting the deficit to one. Chelsea equliazed 4 minutes from time through substitute Salomon Kalou. Didier Drogba headed the ball to his fellow countryman Kalou, and the Ivorian volleyed the ball into the back of the net. Jermain Defoe had a chance to be the hero for Tottenham only minutes later as he beat out three defenders and struck the ball hard past Cech, but not past the crossbar. The game ended drawn, and the replay will be held at White Hart Lane on March 19th.