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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Wikinews has confirmed through several sources that a lawsuit filed against the Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organization of the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia, by the ‘Barbara Bauer Literacy Agency,’ has been dismissed. As a result of the associated conflict, edits pertaining to Bauer on Wikipedia were deleted and, following the commencement of legal proceedings, Wikinews exclusively obtained the offending texts and edits.
Judge Jamie S. Perri dismissed the case citing the 1996 Communications Decency Act, promoting free speech over the Internet. The act protects the provider of interactive computer services from liability for publishing content provided by another.
At the start of the court action, Wikimedia asked the court to dismiss the case. “Wikimedia asks the Court to dismiss the claims against it, with prejudice. The claims against Wikimedia are frivolous because they are barred as a matter of law by the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230( c), “Section 230” or the “CDA”), by the First Amendment, and by New Jersey law. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written by its users, the content of which can be created, edited, or removed by anyone.
The claims arise from statements made on numerous Internet websites, which Plaintiffs assert describe them as being among the “20 Worst Literary Agents” and having “no…significant track record of sales to commercial (advance paying) published” states the motion filed in Superior Court of New Jersey, Monmouth County,” said the organization.
Before the case started, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) issued a press release that defends against a suit Bauer filed against Wikimedia which states that contributors on Wikipedia posted “libel statements” against Bauer that labeled her as number three on a list of twenty people grouped as the “worst” publishing agents, and included allegations that she had “no documented sales” through her firm. Complaints filed against her and her firm state that Bauer had a bad record when dealing with “commercial publishers,”, and questioning her practice of, “charge[ing] in advance of making a sale, against the generally-accepted industry practice.”
In March of 2007, Wikimedia was named in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court of Monmouth, New Jersey, along with 20 other defendants which included operators of the Absolute Write web site and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America who authored the list.
Wikinews has learned that Bauer’s Wikipedia article was deleted some time during the course of the proceedings, along with the edit history of her article and its talk page as a “courtesy.” During the investigation, Wikinews found that all edits to her article, and edits to pages requesting it to be deleted were deleted by Wikipedia administrator MaxSem.
Wikinews has also exclusively obtained all the edits affiliated with Bauer’s article, which was sourced accurately, the deletion requests along with the edit history of all pages related to the discussion about Bauer’s article. Fearing retribution on Wikipedia by other administrators and users, the source who provided Wikinews with the edit information wishes to remain anonymous.
The deleted Wikipedia article on Bauer stated that she claims “to have placed books with a number of well-known commercial publishers, but does not provide specific details of the books in question. In 2006, due to the number of complaints they receive, Writer Beware (part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America writers’ organization) listed Bauer’s agency as one of the twenty worst literary agencies.”
Bauer’s article was started on May 25, 2006 but was not deleted until March 21, 2008 by Wikipedia administrator and Wikimedia office employee Cary Bass, who was not able to comment on the incident. It underwent two requests to be deleted, with the second one passing, and it was subsequently deleted. It had first been deleted on March 25, 2007 by “Doc Glasgow”, an administrator, amid allegations that the information presented in the article was “a bloody disgrace, full of ‘allegations of who said what on message boards. No mainstream media interest.” It was later restored on March 26 to undergo a “deletion review.” It was then deleted just under one year later after an extensive discussion.
Barbara Bauer was shown to have threatened a number of website hosts who reproduced the “Top 20 Worst Agents” list, or referred to her inclusion in the list; her complaints apparently prompted a brief takedown of the AbsoluteWrite.com site.
One blog even states that Bauer attempted to get people fired from their jobs, after allegedly posting information online that was in any way connected to the Top 20 worst agents.
“Barbara Bauer has been running around the Internet lately threatening people who’ve posted information about her fee-charging, non-manuscript-selling ways, including people who’ve linked to the Twenty Worst list. She has threatened legal action; she has even attempted to get people fired,” states Victoria Strauss on accrispin.blogspot.com.
The EFF, along with attorneys at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, are defending Wikimedia submitting a motion to dismiss the suit against the Foundation. The Foundation says that the First Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and New Jersey law protect the contributors from any legal action.
Specifically, Section 230 of the act states, “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be held liable on account of any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.”
Bauer claims that her agency informed Wikimedia of the false allegations, and requested that they be removed. She also claimed that Wikimedia refused to remove the information when requested. Bauer further states that the contributors involved with her Wikipedia article “conspired to defame Plaintiffs and interfere with their prospective economic advantage.”
Mike Godwin, attorney for the Foundation states that the point of Wikipedia is to return the knowledge it provides, to a worldwide culture.
“We provide a platform through Wikipedia for smart citizens to give their knowledge back to a larger culture. Our ability to offer citizens that platform is what’s at stake in this case,” said attorney representing the Foundation, Mike Godwin in a EFF press release on May 2, 2008.
Despite the claim of freedom of speech, Wikinews has learned that on the same day, Godwin requested that the edits and the article on Wikipedia relating to Bauer, be deleted by a community action. Godwin also stated that the Foundation has “filed court papers in which we stated that the article is no longer available.”
“I’ve been trying to keep ‘Office actions’ to a minimum (partly in reaction to some fairly heavy-handed WP:OFFICE stuff in the past), and it would be helpful to be able to say that any given action was taken by the community, not by the Foundation,” said Godwin on Wikipedia’s Administrators’ noticeboard on May 2, the same day of the EFF’s press release. ‘Office actions’ are changes directly authorized by the Foundation which are made to content on any of the Wikimedia projects. The edits are made by staff members working for the Foundation’s head office located in San Francisco, California. Edits of this nature are generally “removals of questionable or illegal Wikimedia content following complaints,” according to Wikipedia’s policy on ‘Office Actions.’
A few minutes after, MaxSem, a Wikipedia administrator, deleted the edits related to the deletion request of Bauer’s article as a “courtesy” stating that there would be “legal problems” if the edits were not deleted.
Wikinews originally intended to publish an article at the start of the court case, although it was deleted from the article by Wikinews administrator Brian McNeil, who said that it was deleted “per consultation with Mike Godwin” as the posting of any material relating to Bauer, on Wikimedia sites, could be considered contempt of court. The deleted copy of this article was then leaked to Wikileaks, who released a press release saying that the Wikimedia Foundation censored Wikinews. At the time of this The Register reported that “Wikinews – like its sister site, Wikipedia – bills itself as a place without bias. Ostensibly, it’s a democratic news source that never answers to a higher power. But that’s just a setup for the latest act in the world’s greatest online farce.” The Register has a long history of denigrating Wikimedia projects.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Four people have been shot and killed and at least 15 wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a LA Fitness center in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. The gunman was among the dead.
Reports say the man walked into a dance room where an all-female Latin dance class was in session, turned off the lights and began to shoot people. CNN reports that the gunman was a “middle-aged white male.” One witness said he was carrying a duffel bag, which he put down before shooting into the crowd. After opening fire, he turned the gun on himself. At least 30 people are reported to have been in the room at the time of the shooting.
Allegheny County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said, “I’ve never seen nothing quite like this. It was very chaotic. […] There’s a good belief that the shooter is deceased.”
Collier Township Police Chief Tom Devin stated that the police, “believe the shooter committed suicide at the scene but we’re not positive.” Police report that the shooter’s motive may have been a domestic dispute with one of the exercisers.
Mike Hentosz, a witness who was inside the gym, said, “I feel like it’s a dream. I don’t know what to think of it.” A woman participating in the class, Nicole, said that 10 minutes into the class, “a middle-aged white male walked into the class. He had a big gym bag. […] He looked out of place in a class full of women.” When he began firing, she reported, she ran out of the gym and escaped in passerby’s car.
By Jonathon Halston
Creating a winning game testing job resume is an often overlooked step in the process of getting hired for one s first game testing job. To stand out from the crowd of would-be game testers, it is critical to build a resume and cover letter that truly showcase not only your passion for video games, but also highlight exactly why your prospective employer should hire you for a game testing job, what you can bring to the table, your dream of making a career out of being a video game tester, and the benefits you can bring your new employer.
Many are unnecessarily intimidated by the idea of creating a professional resume and cover letter, and as a result, don t project the necessary confidence in their writing that they possess the necessary attribute to do the job well, thus bringing value to their new employer. For this reason, many resumes simply don t get a second glance. The way past this stumbling block is simply to focus on these three key areas:
What you can do well. Here would be a great area to discuss any unpaid experience you have acquired beta testing or testing games at home while working through a software testing guide while testing a video game.
What you have done well. Highlight in your work experience areas where you given ownership of a particular area, and how well you did that particular task or area of ownership. An example might be improved the time it took to clean a 12×14 carpet by 10% while maintaining or improving quality standards , or grew sales in my area by 7% .
How your work experience benefited your employer. An example might be improved profit in the plumbing department by 8% or developed a process that increased efficiency by 11%, thus reducing man-hours billed to company X .
Additionally, if this is your first game testing job, be sure and highlight any proactive experience you may have gained in the following areas:
Beta Testing. Any Beta testing experience you may have, paid or not, will demonstrate to your new employer that you understand the process of playing and testing the video game, finding bugs and filing them. This will be a huge plus on your resume, and will show that you have experience and perspective on how to actually test video games.
Online gaming beta testing. Sign up for all the online game beta testing programs you can find, and you will gain much in real-world testing and bug-filing experience.
At-home practice: Sit down with your favorite game and practice creating spreadsheets of Test Scenarios and Test Cases based on the guidelines you can find in any good book on software testing. Create practice test plans as well. Write bug reports for any bugs you may find using a good bug filing template, which you can also find in most software testing books.
Game design experience: Learning a few things, even practicing creating a simple game or designing a level, will look great on your resume, and make you a much better video game tester
Education Taking a few classes on programming, project management, game design, game art, and a number of other related subjects will assist you immensely and show potential employers that you are serious about becoming a video game tester, and stand miles above the rest of the game testing job seeking crowd.
Designing a resume and cover letter within this general framework will give you a huge leg up against other entry-level video game testers, and guarantees that you will be interviewed and hired for your first video game tester job and have no problem finding new video game tester jobs after you have completed your first gig!
About the Author: Jonathon Halston has tested video games for over 11 years. He started out as a contract video game tester, and soon became a Software Design Engineer in Test at a World Class Software Company and you can too. For additional information on creating a winning resume and cover letter specific to
game testing jobs
, visit
Hot-Game-Tester-Jobs.com
today!
Source:
isnare.com
Permanent Link:
isnare.com/?aid=408117&ca=Career
May 2, 2007
20-year-old pitching phenom Phil Hughes cruised through hitters in just his second start for the New York Yankees, but the end result created even more frustration for the organization and fans everywhere.
Hughes retired 19 Texas Rangers without allowing a hit on Tuesday at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Established big league stars such as Kenny Lofton, Mark Teixeira and Michael Young could not solve the youngster’s blazing fastball or sharply biting curve. Hughes was on the verge of history. Even as his pitch count rose, the Yankees allowed him to keep firing. “He was fine,” manager Joe Torre said of the 2004 first round draft pick. “We were going to allow him to go 100 pitches last time, so I didn’t think that would be a problem.”
Just when the Yankees thought they found an answer to their early struggles, the organization was treated to an agonizing sight. After Teixeira fouled off an 0-2 pitch with one out in the sixth inning, Hughes grabbed his leg, having suffered a hamstring injury. His no-hit bid ended there (Texas would break up the no-hitter in the eighth inning off reliever Mike Myers), though he did earn his first big league win in a 10-1 Yankee romp over Texas. He walked off the mound under his own power, but will reportedly miss 4-6 weeks.
Hughes voiced his frustration afterwards: “It’s tough. It puts a damper on the whole thing.” He added, “I’m at a point now where our rotation really needs it,” referring to his presence on the New York pitching staff. Several Yankees have already voiced their excitement for the righthander’s chances in the big leagues. For his part, Yankees star Jason Giambi compared him to Roger Clemens during Spring Training: “He looks like a young Rocket.”
The Yankees are currently just 10-14, thanks in large part to injuries that have befallen pitchers Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Jeff Karstens. In a related story from today, the Yankees fired strength and conditioning coach Marty Miller. Reportedly, this was out of general manager Brian Cashman’s concern for the alarming number of hamstring injuries so far this season.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Television producer and owner of the anti-Scientology website www.xenutv.com (XenuTV), Mark Bunker, also known as Wise Beard Man, chatted online with Wikinews for nearly three hours. More than 120 people followed the interview live (many from Project Chanology), which makes this exclusive Wikinews interview our most attended IRC interview to date.
Bunker started XenuTV in 1999 and began to make videos that he provided for the Lisa McPherson Trust. Bunker has been a critic of the Church of Scientology since 1997.
In 2006, he won a Regional Emmy Award after he and KUSI-TV news reporter Lena Lewis produced a documentary news video on the issues with the United States – Mexico border with San Diego, California.
How To Purchase a Kit Home
by
Claire Winters
Kit homes are getting to be increasingly popular, as they are generally an easily affordable way to allow someone to own a home. Building a kit home may be a good alternative to the standard way of building homes for many people. Interior floor blueprints can vary in addition to the outside design of the home as there are a number of different option available. There are normally kit home options that allow the purchaser to have an input on custom design in certain areas of the home if that is something the buyer has an interest in.
There are normally four different styles or types a home kit can come in. There are log homes, panelized houses, domes, and timber style homes. When you are considering a kit home purchase, identifying what type of home is best suited for you and the area in which you live would be the first thing to decide on. Looks, maintenance, features and expense will be different with each of these four styles of homes. When thinking about any type of home purchase, cost will be the the crucial element for anyone. The same is usually true with a kit house. Kit homes can be a less expensive alternative to a traditionally built home but the type, size, and features, could eventually determine the cost of the home. Many of these homes have steel frames so the quality is typically of high quality. More fire proof than traditional homes due to the structure materials, the kit homes are often safer. Not able to catch on fire, the frames are not combustible. In addition, they are generally considered to be termite proof, which allows people all over the option to purchase these homes even if they live in an area where termites are a threat. With kit homes, usually any location would work. Sloping sites do generally not restrict these styles of homes. The structure is able to be altered to accommodate almost any environment because the steel frames are able to be customized appropriately for any location.A kit home will frequently take less than 6 weeks to construct. People faced with the dilemma of choosing between a conventional home and a kit home can be influenced by the limited time it takes to erect the structure. Able to be altered with the assistance of an architect, these kit dwellings can be changed to better meet your requirements. These homes tend to be said to be eco-friendly. This is due to the fact that the building time is fast and generally the amount of waste materials is small. These homes may also be a smart investment as often they not only retain their value, but can, over time, rise in value. Because kit homes may be generally less expensive than a traditional home option, a home loan may be less. It is possible that financing is obtainable through the supplier. Occasionally, because the home is inexpensive, people may be more apt and able to afford the home outright. When in the market for a brand new home your able to afford and still get the choice of customizing, why not consider purchasing your own home kit which can make the reality of owning a home far more realistic.
When only the greatest will do, then it’s time for you to consider Connor Homes, and look at their
kit homes for sale
. Go to
connorbuilding.com/
for much more details about Connor Homes.
Article Source:
How To Purchase a Kit Home}
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Scottish lawyer today denied reports that Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi had died, after it was reported on Sky News earlier today that “unidentified sources” had said that he was dead.
The reports came onto Sky News at around 16.00 BST today. The information could not be confirmed, and it was not immediately clear where Sky News had obtained their information. Megrahi is suffering from terminal prostate cancer. Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill MSP decided on 20 August 2009 to grant Megrahi compassionate release from Greenock Prison in Glasgow, Scotland and to allow him to return to Libya, after medical advisers reported that he was likely to die in just three months.
On Wednesday, Megrahi’s lawyer, Tony Kelly, responded to the claims made, saying that “it’s absolutely untrue. He’s definitely not dead. I’m not saying anything about his health condition other than the fact he is alive and breathing.” He declined to release any information about Abdelbaset’s current health condition. Following these comments, Sky News removed the information from their website.
Friday, September 9, 2005
New Orleans, Louisiana —After Category 4 storm Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, on the night before August 29, 2005, several flood control constructions failed. Much of the city flooded through the openings. One of these was the flood wall forming one side of the 17th Street Canal, near Lake Pontchartrain. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the primary agency for engineering support during such emergencies. A USACE team was assessing the situation in New Orleans on the 29th, water flow was stopped September 2nd, and the breach was closed on September 5th.
Sunday, October 9, 2005
Canada’s federal government has announced a new program that plans to share unexpected budget surpluses with ordinary citizens. It should be introduced in Ottawa as early as Friday.
The Surplus Allocation Act would share any surplus equally between tax cuts, new spending and debt relief. It would not replace Canada’s $3 billion emergency fund. Under existing law any surplus is funneled completely into debt relief.
The benefit would come as an amount added on to the income tax returns of that year. It would then be added on to the amount a person can earn tax-free for each subsequent year.
Along with the new home heating oil rebate program are considered to be pre-election maneuvering from the liberals. Paul Martin has promised an election within 30 days of the Gomery Commission Report’s release. The report is expected in February.