Monday, August 31, 2020
The following is the third edition of a monthly series chronicling the 2020 United States presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories.
This month’s spotlight on the campaign trail includes interviews with the vice presidential nominees of the American Solidarity Party, the Bread and Roses Party, and the Unity Party of America.
Friday, May 5, 2006
Australian Prime Minister John Howard and federal industry minister Ian MacDonald today announced that the federal government would be providing Ford Australia with a AU$52.5 million (US$40.4 million) “financial assistance package”. Additional assistance will also be provided by the Victorian state government.
According to Mr Howard, the injection will secure Ford’s manufacturing operations in Australia “for the long term”.
From the package, AU$40 million will be used for the design and manufacture of Ford’s next model Falcon and Territory vehicles, which will be built in Australia.
Despite being given a major facelift in 2002 and another in 2005, the Falcon’s bodyshell dates back to 1998. The current Falcon will need to serve the company until at least 2007 when the new model is anticipated. In the meantime, it will face stiff competition from the completely new Holden Commodore (the Falcon’s major competitor) which will be released in the second half of this year.
The additional AU$12.5 million will be spent on the development of a light commercial vehicle platform, which will be built overseas and marketed to around 80 countries. Mr Howard said that the light commercial project would involve construction of a research and development centre, which will become the base for R&D projects in the region.
Mr MacFarlane said that the research facility was exciting for Australia and that it would put the Australian automotive in the spotlight.
“The funding has helped Ford Australia secure the largest automotive R&D project ever undertaken in Australia which is equally exciting news for local Ford employees and Australian component producers” he said.
“The project will see Ford Australia become a centre for automotive design and engineering excellence in the Asia Pacific region which will bring spin-off benefits for the broader industry,”
“This opportunity will put both Ford Australia, and the Australian automotive and components sectors on the world map as far as our automotive design and engineering capabilities are concerned.” Mr MacFarlane said.
Mr Howard claims that the projects will create 273 jobs and secure the future of the “iconic” Ford Falcon, which has been built in Australia since 1960.
The financial package is conditional upon Ford Australia giving the Australian automotive component industry an opportunity to supply components for the vehicles produced by the two projects.
byAlma Abell
As people age, it is not uncommon for their hearing to begin to fail. This is especially true if they have suffered from frequent ear infections or hearing loss is a common health problem in their families. Once a hearing problem is diagnosed, it may be treated by having a hearing aid fitted for your ears. There are many styles of hearing aids available and these can be worn deep inside the ear or just outside the ear lobe. When you go to an ear specialist in Naples FL, he can determine which style will be most beneficial to you.
For those who have a very active lifestyle, it may be best to choose the hearing aid that fits inside the ear. This device improves the hearing and is barely noticeable to the naked eye. It fits deep into the ear canal and stays in place easily. This small device amplifies sound so that you can hear words clearly. Conversations can be understood and enjoyed and no one will ever know you are wearing a hearing aid. It runs by a tiny battery that can be replaced as needed. This hearing aid needs to be removed only when changing the battery or when you are showering or swimming to prevent it from being damaged by water.
The ear specialist in Naples FL can help you customize a hearing aid that fits just outside the ear. The piece that fits inside your ear enhances hearing dramatically so that you can hear words, music or any sounds with ease. This model has volume control so that you can adjust your hearing as needed. The inner piece is connected to the our ear piece by a small, tube-like wire. The outer earpiece contains the battery which can be changed easily as needed.
These devices have helped many of the patients regain the hearing they thought they had lost forever. This has helped them to have a more normal life by being able to hear everything around them. These hearing aids are suitable for both children and adults and can truly improve the quality of life of those who wear them.
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
In early May, Wikinews extended an invitation to Vitaly Filipchenko, an independent candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election, set to take place November 2nd, alongside other candidates. Filipchenko answered some questions about his policies and campaign during a phone interview.
Filipchenko, registered on the New York City Campaign Finance Board as Vitaly A. Filipchenko, is the first Russian candidate for New York City mayor, being born in Tomsk, Siberia in 1973, according to news agency Sputnik. He has since naturalised as a United States citizen. According to the web site, Filipchenko has been educated in road construction and maintenance and owns a moving services company; he describes himself on his web site as a “small business owner”. On his web site’s platform page, he says that “[m]y English may not be perfect – but my platform is.”
Incumbent Democrat mayor Bill de Blasio, who won re-election in the 2017 New York City mayoral election by 66.5%, cannot run for a third term under term limits. As of April 28, 22 candidates are currently running, the majority of whom are also Democrats. Ahead of the June Democratic primary for New York City mayor, a poll conducted May 23 and 24 by WPIX and Emerson College of 12 Democratic candidates with a margin of error of 3.2 per cent has former commissioner for the New York City Department of Sanitation Kathryn Garcia and Borough President of Brooklyn Eric Adams leading with 21.1% and 20.1%, respectively.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wikinews reporter David Shankbone is currently, courtesy of the Israeli government and friends, visiting Israel. This is a first-hand account of his experiences and may — as a result — not fully comply with Wikinews’ neutrality policy. Please note this is a journalism experiment for Wikinews and put constructive criticism on the collaboration page.
| This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. |
Dr. Yossi Vardi is known as Israel’s ‘Father of the Entrepreneur’, and he has many children in the form of technology companies he has helped to incubate in Tel Aviv‘s booming Internet sector. At the offices of Superna, one such company, he introduced a whirlwind of presentations from his baby incubators to a group of journalists. What stuck most in my head was when Vardi said, “What is important is not the technology, but the talent.” Perhaps because he repeated this after each young Internet entrepreneur showed us his or her latest creation under Vardi’s tutelage. I had a sense of déjà vu from this mantra. A casual reader of the newspapers during the Dot.com boom will remember a glut of stories that could be called “The Rise of the Failure”; people whose technology companies had collapsed were suddenly hot commodities to start up new companies. This seemingly paradoxical thinking was talked about as new back then; but even Thomas Edison—the Father of Invention—is oft-quoted for saying, “I have not failed. I have just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.”
Vardi’s focus on encouraging his brood of talent regardless of the practicalities stuck out to me because of a recent pair of “dueling studies” The New York Times has printed. These are the sort of studies that confuse parents on how to raise their kids. The first, by Carol Dweck at Stanford University, came to the conclusion that children who are not praised for their efforts, regardless of the outcome’s success, rarely attempt more challenging and complex pursuits. According to Dweck’s study, when a child knows that they will receive praise for being right instead of for tackling difficult problems, even if they fail, they will simply elect to take on easy tasks in which they are assured of finding the solution.
Only one month earlier the Times produced another story for parents to agonize over, this time based on a study from the Brookings Institution, entitled “Are Kids Getting Too Much Praise?” Unlike Dweck’s clinical study, Brookings drew conclusions from statistical data that could be influenced by a variety of factors (since there was no clinical control). The study found American kids are far more confident that they have done well than their Korean counterparts, even when the inverse is true. The Times adds in the words of a Harvard faculty psychologist who intoned, “Self-esteem is based on real accomplishments. It’s all about letting kids shine in a realistic way.” But this is not the first time the self-esteem generation’s proponents have been criticized.
Vardi clearly would find himself encouraged by Dweck’s study, though, based upon how often he seemed to ask us to keep our eyes on the people more than the products. That’s not to say he has not found his latest ICQ, though only time—and consumers—will tell.
For a Web 2.User like myself, I was most fascinated by Fixya, a site that, like Wikipedia, exists on the free work of people with knowledge. Fixya is a tech support site where people who are having problems with equipment ask a question and it is answered by registered “experts.” These experts are the equivalent of Wikipedia’s editors: they are self-ordained purveyors of solutions. But instead of solving a mystery of knowledge a reader has in their head, these experts solve a problem related to something you have bought and do not understand. From baby cribs to cellular phones, over 500,000 products are “supported” on Fixya’s website. The Fixya business model relies upon the good will of its experts to want to help other people through the ever-expanding world of consumer appliances. But it is different from Wikipedia in two important ways. First, Fixya is for-profit. The altruistic exchange of information is somewhat dampened by the knowledge that somebody, somewhere, is profiting from whatever you give. Second, with Wikipedia it is very easy for a person to type in a few sentences about a subject on an article about the Toshiba Satellite laptop, but to answer technical problems a person is experiencing seems like a different realm. But is it? “It’s a beautiful thing. People really want to help other people,” said the presenter, who marveled at the community that has already developed on Fixya. “Another difference from Wikipedia is that we have a premium content version of the site.” Their premium site is where they envision making their money. Customers with a problem will assign a dollar amount based upon how badly they need an answer to a question, and the expert-editors of Fixya will share in the payment for the resolved issue. Like Wikipedia, reputation is paramount to Fixya’s experts. Whereas Wikipedia editors are judged by how they are perceived in the Wiki community, the amount of barnstars they receive and by the value of their contributions, Fixya’s customers rate its experts based upon the usefulness of their advice. The site is currently working on offering extended warranties with some manufacturers, although it was not clear how that would work on a site that functioned on the work of any expert.
Another collaborative effort product presented to us was YouFig, which is software designed to allow a group of people to collaborate on work product. This is not a new idea, although may web-based products have generally fallen flat. The idea is that people who are working on a multi-media project can combine efforts to create a final product. They envision their initial market to be academia, but one could see the product stretching to fields such as law, where large litigation projects with high-level of collaboration on both document creation and media presentation; in business, where software aimed at product development has generally not lived up to its promises; and in the science and engineering fields, where multi-media collaboration is quickly becoming not only the norm, but a necessity.
For the popular consumer market, Superna, whose offices hosted our meeting, demonstrated their cost-saving vision for the Smart Home (SH). Current SH systems require a large, expensive server in order to coordinate all the electronic appliances in today’s air-conditioned, lit and entertainment-saturated house. Such coordinating servers can cost upwards of US$5,000, whereas Superna’s software can turn a US$1,000 hand-held tablet PC into household remote control.
There were a few start-ups where Vardi’s fatherly mentoring seemed more at play than long-term practical business modeling. In the hot market of WiFi products, WeFi is software that will allow groups of users, such as friends, share knowledge about the location of free Internet WiFi access, and also provide codes and keys for certain hot spots, with access provided only to the trusted users within a group. The mock-up that was shown to us had a Google Maps-esque city block that had green points to the known hot spots that are available either for free (such as those owned by good Samaritans who do not secure their WiFi access) or for pay, with access information provided for that location. I saw two long-term problems: first, WiMAX, which is able to provide Internet access to people for miles within its range. There is already discussion all over the Internet as to whether this technology will eventually make WiFi obsolete, negating the need to find “hot spots” for a group of friends. Taiwan is already testing an island-wide WiMAX project. The second problem is if good Samaritans are more easily located, instead of just happened-upon, how many will keep their WiFi access free? It has already become more difficult to find people willing to contribute to free Internet. Even in Tel Aviv, and elsewhere, I have come across several secure wireless users who named their network “Fuck Off” in an in-your-face message to freeloaders.
Another child of Vardi’s that the Brookings Institution might say was over-praised for self-esteem but lacking real accomplishment is AtlasCT, although reportedly Nokia offered to pay US$8.1 million for the software, which they turned down. It is again a map-based software that allows user-generated photographs to be uploaded to personalized street maps that they can share with friends, students, colleagues or whomever else wants to view a person’s slideshow from their vacation to Paris (“Dude, go to the icon over Boulevard Montmartre and you’ll see this girl I thought was hot outside the Hard Rock Cafe!”) Aside from the idea that many people probably have little interest in looking at the photo journey of someone they know (“You can see how I traced the steps of Jesus in the Galilee“), it is also easy to imagine Google coming out with its own freeware that would instantly trump this program. Although one can see an e-classroom in architecture employing such software to allow students to take a walking tour through Rome, its desirability may be limited.
Whether Vardi is a smart parent for his encouragement, or in fact propping up laggards, is something only time will tell him as he attempts to bring these products of his children to market. The look of awe that came across each company’s representative whenever he entered the room provided the answer to the question of Who’s your daddy?
By Richard Chapo
If you own a business and have employees, you have an inherent feel for the joy of filing employee related tax documents. Alas, the IRS is cutting back on the burden.
Employees are critical to any business other than the smallest ones. That being said, the tax requirements for dealing with employees can be a pain in the derriere. The problems are many, but one particular situation puts employers in a very bad spot.
Withholdings on employee paychecks is a subject that can cause tension in a business. Inevitably, some employees will want to reduce the withholdings from their check beyond the norm. The employer, in turn, is faced with the prospect of the IRS focusing unwanted attention on the business because of such actions. In a worst case scenario, the IRS will send a lock letter setting the amount of the withholdings. This puts the employer in the bad position of telling the employee more money must be withheld – a situation sure to cause tension. Making matters worse, the employer was supposed to be able to determine when the employee was abusing the withholding process.
The IRS has issued regulations that at least relieve the employer of the burden of determining if an employee is stepping over the line on the reduction of withholdings. Whereas the employer was previously required to send a W-4 Withhold Allowance Certificate to the IRS if an employee was claiming a total exemption from withholdings or more than 10 allowances, it no longer does. As of April 14, 2006, the IRS will simply make its own determination using salary filings for the business in general.
This regulation modification by the IRS should be applauded as a significant boost to employers. No longer does an employer have to act as a detective in determining whether an employee is not paying in enough tax on paychecks. Instead, the employer can now sit back and wait for the IRS to act. If the IRS feels an employee is out of line, the agency will send a lock-in letter to the employer. The employer than has no choice but to comply. Employees are much more likely to understand this and focus their anger on the IRS instead of the employer.
The new withholding regulations represent a positive step by the IRS. They might just keep employers out of the tax problems of employees.
About the Author: Richard A. Chapo is with
businesstaxrecovery.com
– information on taxes.
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Saturday, May 17, 2008
Construction workers and next of kin of deceased workers filed a lawsuit in Tokyo, Japan Friday seeking damages of approximately 6.6 billion yen (about US$64 million) from the government and manufacturers related to illnesses stemming from exposure to asbestos. 178 plaintiffs; including construction workers and family members filed the suit in Tokyo District Court against 46 building manufacturers and the Government of Japan.
According to the Mainichi Daily News, the class action suit is the first that has been filed in Japan related to health damages caused by asbestos exposure at construction sites. The plaintiffs hail from the Japanese prefectures of Tokyo, Saitama and Chiba.
The plaintiffs claim that the government and manufacturers knew of the dangers of asbestos inhalation but failed to take proper precautions, including ceasing to promote asbestos as a cheap fire retardant and banning production of the material.
They state that after inhaling asbestos in the workplace, 172 people have developed lung cancer or mesothelioma, and that almost half of those afflicted are now dead. Plaintiffs argue that the government and health ministry did not act quickly enough after international organizations issued warnings in 1972 that asbestos could be a carcinogen.
Plaintiffs also place blame with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for sanctioning the use of asbestos under Japanese Industrial Standards, and with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for approving the use of materials comprised of asbestos and other substances under Japan’s Building Standards Law.
| We will do our utmost until we win the suit. | ||
“We will do our utmost until we win the suit,” said Kazuo Miyajima, 78, who heads the group of plaintiffs. Lawyers for the plaintiffs released a statement saying: “We seek complete relief for the victims by clarifying the liability of the state and the manufacturers.”
Approximately 40 construction workers from Kanagawa Prefecture plan to file a similar lawsuit in June in Yokohama District Court.
After a 2005 revelation that residents who lived near a factory in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture developed diseases related to asbestos, the government implemented a law in 2006 which provides monetary assistance to asbestos victims and relatives of deceased family members. The plaintiffs argue that the amount of financial assistance given to families and victims of asbestos-related diseases is not sufficient.
Asbestos has been used in Japan as a fire retardant, for sound absorption, and for insulation. It was mixed in concrete and water and sprayed on walls and ceilings, but the practice of spraying asbestos in this manner was banned in Japan in 1975.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Johan Boyden is running for the Communist Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Toronto Centre riding. Wikinews interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The skeletal remains of 14-year-old Escondido, California teenager Amber Dubois were found north of the Pala Indian Reservation Saturday morning, police said. Dubois disappeared February 13, 2009 while walking to Escondido High School. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office made a positive identification through dental records.
According to Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher, police were following a lead when they came across the remains. Maher declined to say what the lead was or to describe in detail the site where the remains were found. He also refused to reveal whether John Albert Gardner III, suspect in the murder of Chelsea King, is being linked to the Dubois case.
Amber’s father, Maurice Dubois, made a statement thanking those who had helped in the search for Amber. “The entire community, everybody who helped out with the search effort, and above all our huge volunteer corps, they are the most dedicated people and without them we couldn’t have done anything,” he said.
By Joe Arthur
As much shoppers find lots of options in family cell phone plans, they sometimes cannot find good ones that offer both unlimited texting and free phones for everyone in the household. We have some good news to share with you today. There are a few family cell phone plans with unlimited texting or free phones, and they are very affordable, which means families can now enjoy the added flexibility and convenience of text messaging without breaking the bank.
Best of all, several different carriers have these plans, so you’ll be able to shop around for the best deal that suits your needs and budget. Carriers with family cell phone plans with unlimited texting or free phones include:
AT&T Wireless
Nation FamilyTalk 550 w/ Rollover
Features:
– $59.99 per month
– 550 minutes
– Unlimited mobile to mobile calling
– Free cell phones: Samsung Mythic a897 Black ($449.00 value) or other
AT&T wireless is one of the largest carriers in the nation, and their family cell phone plans with free phones is a popular choice. For family members who want a more special phone, AT&T is the exclusive home to Apple’s iPhone as well as many other premium cellphones like the Samsung Mythic a897, and they also have a unique rollover plan. Any unused minutes from month to month will rollover for almost a year, rather than simply being wasted.
Sprint Family Cell Phone Plans
Family Cell Phone Plans 1500
Cost: $99.00 per month
Plan Features:
– 1500 minutes
– Unlimited night and weekend minutes
– Unlimited textingand picture messaging
– Sprint mobile to mobile
– 24 month contract
– $72.00 activation fee
While Sprint phones and plans often lags behind the other carriers in overall customer satisfaction, they do offer relatively low prices and a high-speed network. They also offer a wide variety of premium equipment including the popular Samsung Seek in both blue or black, which currently comes free with the Talk for Family 700 plan.
T-Mobile Family Cell Phone Plans
Even More Family 750
Features:
– $59.99 per month
– 750 minutes
– Unlimited night and weekend minutes
– Unlimited T-Mobile to T-Mobile calling
– Free cell phones: LG Sentio ($199.00 value) or other phone
T-Mobile phones and plans consistently ranks well in overall customer satisfaction and offers a wide variety of affordable options, including family cell phone plans with unlimited texting and free phones. They are also the home to many premium Android phones like the myTouch 3G and the Motorola Cliq. They also offer other popular models including the LG Sentio, which currently comes free with the Even More Family 750 plan.
Verizon Wireless
Nationwide Talk & Text Family SharePlan 700
Cost: $99.00 per month
Plan Features:
– 700 minutes
– Unlimited night and weekend minutes
– Text messaging at 10 cents a message
– 24 month contract
– $60.00 activation
Verizon Wireless is the largest cellphone carrier in the nation in terms of overall coverage and subscribers. They also have the distinction of being the highest rated carrier in many markets, thanks to their superior customer service. They’re also home to many top-of-the-line models including the Motorola DEVOUR, which comes in silver and is currently available free on the Nationwide Talk Family SharePlan 700.
About the Author: To learn more about the best family cell phone plans with unlimited texting and family cell phone plans with free phones that offer the
cheapest cell phone plans
, log on to bestprepaidcellphoneplans.org. Click to read articles and reviews on choosing the
best unlimited prepaid cell phone service
for your needs.
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