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Sunday, September 22, 2019

Friday was when, according to earlier event plans, millions of people were to storm Area 51, a classified facility within the United States Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, and the world was to finally learn of its secrets. In the end, an estimated one-to-two hundred people showed up at the gates, and the classified area was not stormed.

It all began on June 27, when Matty Roberts posted a event invitation on social media site Facebook. More than two million people replied they would attend and an additional million-and-a-half expressed interest in the event. Roberts says his event, “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us”, was posted as a joke. Roberts is about 20 years old and from Bakersfield, California.

The event description read, “We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry […] If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let’s see them aliens.” Area 51 has for decades been rumored to be a facility for UFO and extraterrestrials research. Naruto is a Japanese cartoon ninja character who runs with his arms behind his back.

As the event turned viral, both media and authorities took notice. The nearest settlement to Area 51 is Rachel in Lincoln County. It is a remote desert town with a population of around fifty people. The Little A’Le’Inn is the only business offering food and accommodations and the town has no gas stations. County sheriff Kerry Lee told the BBC even one percent of Facebook users attending “would be more overwhelming than we can handle”. The Air Force issued warnings against attempts to enter the restricted zone of the base, saying it was dangerous.

The sheriff’s office arranged for reinforcements from across Nevada. Fewer than two hundred showed up at the gates of the base, but no one tried to storm the military base. Sheriff Lee said they arrested one person for urinating in public, technically indecent exposure. They arrested three for “suspicion of trespassing” and another for an incident related to alcohol. Over a thousand were reported to have reached Rachel, but most did not make the final trek to the base.

Meanwhile, other events popped up seeking to capitalize on the notoriety of the Storm Area 51 event. In nearby Hiko, a “Storm Area 51 Basecamp Experience” was underway with music and other entertainment. Thursday night, “Alien Stock” was held in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada with involvement of original poster Matty Roberts.

Bob Lazar was reputedly responsible for creating much of the folklore surrounding Area 51 which is not an official name. A 2018 documentary film titled Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers may have spurred recent interest.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

North America’s largest outdoor dog festival came back to Toronto last weekend for its fifth year. It ran from the 9th of June to the 10th of June at Toronto’s historical St. Lawrence Market. A Wikinews reporter was there on Sunday to report on some of the events that happened on the last day.

The “Woofstock” dog festival attracted as many as 140,000 people with their dogs. The festival had tons of accessories, sold under tents, to buy for dogs; food, toys, designer clothes, and more. About 400 vendors and exhibitors were there to promote their products, which also gave private dog companies or groups a chance to show their new products. The local SPCA and some animal rescues were under tents answering questions from visitors. While walking, all visitors could see the CN Tower and other very tall buildings.

One of the local TV stations, Citytv, was there. They hosted a live event at the show which was broadcast on TV. People came up on the stage and asked questions regarding their dogs and the host and co-host answered them.

A man, who called himself the “Chalk Master”, drew two pictures on pavement with chalk. He did it for free but donations were welcome. One was a picture of a girl’s head beside a dog’s head, and another with a wolf.

“Hello Humans. I’ve been invited here to provide your eyeball(s), with some pretty colours. I don’t get paid as I work this weekend strictly for tips… so, if you like what you see please make a DONATION. If you don’t like it simply reach into the pocket of the person next to you and give me their money. CHALK MASTER.”

A contest called “Canada’s top dog” had its own tent with a professional photographer taking pictures of dogs behind a white screen; the winning photo is to be published on the cover of “Puppy and dog basics” magazine.

Large “Gourmet” dog bones were also served from a cart and table.

Next year’s festival is expected to be bigger and better with even more attractions.

Saturday, June 3, 2006

Adnan al-Kazimi, an advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said, “We have from more than one source that the Ishaqi killings were carried out under questionable circumstances. More than one child was killed. This report was not fair for the Iraqi people and the children who were killed”.

The U.S. military yesterday made a statement about Ishaqi allegations that U.S. troops “executed a family … and then hid the alleged crimes by directing an air strike, are absolutely false”. Troops had been fired on and they returned fire and called in air support, which destroyed the house, killing one militant and “up to nine collateral deaths”.

In March, the U.S. military said four people died when they attacked a house suspected of holding an al-Qaida operative. The house was destroyed by fire from the ground and air.

The BBC has video evidence that US forces may have been responsible for the deliberate killing of 11 Iraqi civilians. The videotape, from a hard-line Sunni group opposed to coalition forces, shows a number of dead adults and children at the site. Clearly gunshot wounds according to John Simpson, BBC world affairs.

Local Iraqis said there were 11 total deaths, and claimed that they were killed by U.S. troops before the house was leveled. An unidentified local said, “After they handcuffed them, they shot them dead. Later, they struck the house with their planes. They wanted to hide the evidence. Even a 6-month-old infant was killed. Even the cows were killed, too”

Also according to Associated Press Police in Ishaqi say five children, four women and two men were shot in the head, and that the bodies, with hands bound, were dumped in one room before the house was blown up.

Riyadh Majid, nephew of Faez Khalaf, who was killed, said U.S. forces landed in helicopters and raided the home. Ahmed, Khalaf’s brother said nine of the victims were family members who lived at the house and two were visitors.

The U.S. military said in March that the allegations were being investigated. On Friday U.S. military said it was targeting and captured an individual suspected of supporting foreign fighters of the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist network. Gen. William Caldwell, a U.S military spokesman acknowledged there were “possibly up to nine collateral deaths”. The ‘collateral deaths’ are:

• Turkiya Muhammed Ali, 75 years
• Faiza Harat Khalaf, 30 years
• Faiz Harat Khalaf, 28 years
• Um Ahmad, 23 years
• Sumaya Abdulrazak, 22 years
• Aziz Khalil Jarmoot, 22 years
• Hawra Harat Khalaf, 5 years
• Asma Yousef Maruf, 5 years
• Osama Yousef Maruf, 3 years
• Aisha Harat Khalaf, 3 years
• Husam Harat Khalaf, 6 months

According to Reuters there is a widespread public perception that U.S. troops can shoot and kill with impunity and Iraqi leaders are too weak to do anything about it. Abdullah Hussein, an engineer in Baghdad, says to Reuters “Ishaqi is just another reason why we shouldn’t trust the Americans”, and continue “First they lied about the weapons of mass destruction, then there was the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and now it’s clear to the world they were guilty in Haditha”

John Simpson, BBC Correspondent in Baghdad says “It’s hard to find an Iraqi here who has not suffered, through his family, his friends, from the tough tactics the Americans use”.

Wijdan Michael, Human Rights Minister, said a fact-finding commission would be sent to Ishaqi in the next few days.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter.

The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 trillion, above Germany’s forecast $1.17 trillion.

Huang Guohua, a statistics official with the customs administration, said the December exports rebound was an important turning point for China’s export sector. He commented that the jump was an indication that exporters have emerged from their downslide.

“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports,” he said.

However, although China overtook Germany in exports, China’s total foreign trade — both exports and imports — fell 13.9% last year.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Leading up to the 2008 Taipei Computer Applications Show (TICA), the 8th-annual Linux Forum, accompanied with Linux Expo Pavilion, started yesterday July 30 at Taipei World Trade Center Conference Roon 3 & 4 to promote the open source applications in Taiwan.

With popularity of OLPC and Eee PC, mobile applications, low-price PCs, embedded systems, and enterprise applications are enrolled into the Linux Forum by forum organizer, Industrial Development Bureau of Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China.

Since Linux-related solutions were promoted at Softex Taipei 2008 by Taipei Computer Association, as well as the organizer of TICA and Softex shows, executives from industrial, academical, and governmental people mostly cautioned the importance of Linux, which had also become another choice to be built inside a computer after OLPC and Eee PC.

As several required functions from business software are built in some open source software, software and platforms complied with open source had become the second choice for consumers. UPP, an open source platform built by United Daily News Digital Corporation, is a typical example on open source application integrated to a USB flash drive.

Apart from basic applications, some companies also demonstrated some examples of deploying and programming on a Linux-based platform. In addition, some experts recommended enterprises to consider user needs before introducing Linux as the desktop platform in the enterprise.

After the Linux Forum, the Linux Expo will also showcase solutions of open source at TICA.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wikileaks today announced via twitter that its website has crashed under an apparent cyber-attack; this following the recent release of tens of thousands of US State Department cables. Sources in the US say the mass-disclosure of cables is causing diplomatic setbacks, and embarrassment, for the administration of Barack Obama.

These previously unreleased cables are said to contain the names of sensitive sources that the authors asked higher bodies to “strictly protect”. The authenticity of the latest documents has not been confirmed but, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, “the United States strongly condemns any illegal disclosure of classified information”.

After more than 2,000 cables were reviewed by the Associated Press, they were found to contain dozens of sources who had sought identity protection. 125,000 sensitive documents have been disclosed in the past week, and their rapid release is said to be causing complications and endangering US foreign policy goals.

“In addition to damaging our diplomatic efforts, it puts individuals’ security at risk, threatens our national security and undermines our effort to work with countries to solve shared problems. We remain concerned about these illegal disclosures and about concerns and risks to individuals”, Nuland said.

The first series of leaks began last November. With each release, officials from the State Department crisis management team went through the leaked documents, informing sources that had been named, and – where possible – warning those in authoritarian countries their identities may have been exposed.

Wikileaks responded via twitter to the criticism as the cyber attack occurred, “Dear governments, if you don’t want your filth exposed, then stop acting like pigs. Simple”.

News organisations were previously cooperating with Wikileaks in exchange for copies of documents, including uncensored State Department messages; the new flood of publishing in recent weeks reflects the collapse of those relationships between Wikileaks and the mainstream media.

“We continue to carefully monitor what becomes public and to take steps to mitigate the damage to national security and to assist those who may be harmed by these illegal disclosures to the extent that we can”, said Nuland.

Friday, January 19, 2007

In Pakistan, the Daily Times reported that construction work on a sewerage project has started in Pindi.

It said that the construction work for the Rawalpindi Environment Improvement Project (REIP) aims to lay a new underground drainage and sewerage system in the area.

The project director of REIP, Aslam Sabzwari, said, according to the report, that improvement of sanitation and sewerage system had started in the eastern zone of the city, consisting of 15 union councils (UCs). The project includes improvement of the sanitation and sewerage systems, a sewage treatment plant, solid waste management, removal of slaughter-houses and construction of public toilets.

Sabzwari also said that 22 new tube wells would be installed, while 32 old ones would be repaired under the project, recalling that the existing sewerage systems in Satellite Town and Kahyabane-Sirsyed were laid in the 1950s and 1969s, respectively, and were the main cause of the increasing case of hepatitis in the city.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Punjab government sponsor the REIP.

Sunday, January 1, 2006It looks like baseball stars Manny Ramirez and Miguel Tejada might be traded after all. Several New York Daily News sources claim that Ramirez could go to the New York Mets as part of a four-team deal. However, budget constraints may complicate the trade. According to the Daily News, if this blockbuster deal is successful, the following trades could take place:

Mets would get:

• Manny Ramirez
• Danys Biaz

Red Sox would get:

• Miguel Tejada
• Joey Gathright

Orioles would get:

• Matt Clement
• Julio Lugo
• Kris Benson

Devil Rays would get:

• Andy Marte
• Jae Seo
• Kaz Matsui

Tuesday, March 29, 2005A team of Australian surgeons yesterday reattached both hands and one foot to 10-year-old Perth boy, Terry Vo, after a brick wall which collapsed during a game of basketball fell on him, severing the limbs. The wall gave way while Terry performed a slam-dunk, during a game at a friend’s birthday party.

The boy was today awake and smiling, still in some pain but in good spirits and expected to make a full recovery, according to plastic surgeon, Mr Robert Love.

“What we have is parts that are very much alive so the reattached limbs are certainly pink, well perfused and are indeed moving,” Mr Love told reporters today.

“The fact that he is moving his fingers, and of course when he wakes up he will move both fingers and toes, is not a surprise,” Mr Love had said yesterday.

“The question is more the sensory return that he will get in the hand itself and the fine movements he will have in the fingers and the toes, and that will come with time, hopefully. We will assess that over the next 18 months to two years.

“I’m sure that he’ll enjoy a game of basketball in the future.”

The weight and force of the collapse, and the sharp brick edges, resulted in the three limbs being cut through about 7cm above the wrists and ankle.

Terry’s father Tan said of his only child, the injuries were terrible, “I was scared to look at him, a horrible thing.”

The hands and foot were placed in an ice-filled Esky and rushed to hospital with the boy, where three teams of medical experts were assembled, and he was given a blood transfusion after experiencing massive blood loss. Eight hours of complex micro-surgery on Saturday night were followed by a further two hours of skin grafts yesterday.

“What he will lose because it was such a large zone of traumatised skin and muscle and so on, he will lose some of the skin so he’ll certainly require lots of further surgery regardless of whether the skin survives,” said Mr Love said today.

The boy was kept unconscious under anaesthetic between the two procedures. In an interview yesterday, Mr Love explained why:

“He could have actually been woken up the next day. Because we were intending to take him back to theatre for a second look, to look at the traumatised skin flaps, to close more of his wounds and to do split skin grafting, it was felt the best thing to do would be to keep him stable and to keep him anaesthetised.”

Professor Wayne Morrison, director of the respected Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery and head of plastic and hand surgery at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, said he believed the operation to be a world first.