lwsimmons.org

Sunday, July 10, 2016

On Thursday, five police officers were killed and seven were injured after a sniper attacked a public protest march in downtown Dallas, Texas. Sources indicate at least three other people were taken into custody for questioning relating to the attack. The march was held to protest the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota during engagements with police officers.

Police identified 25-year-old Micah Johnson as the suspect. Johnson had previously served in the US army, and police reported he said he wanted to exact revenge upon police officers after news of Sterling and Castile’s deaths. Ammunition and weapons were found inside Johnson’s home. Dallas Police reported the policemen were shot at from a height. Officials said two civilians were also injured in the attack.

Micah Johnson served for the United States Army Reserve from 2009 until early 2015, including a tour of Afghanistan. Johnson had no criminal record. His attack was reported to be a lone mission.

After the attack earlier on Thursday, police killed Micah Johnson in El Centro College’s parking lot by a bomb explosion.

Hillary Clinton, 2016 United States presidential election candidate and favorite for the Democratic nomination this July, said, “There is too much violence, too much hate, too much senseless killing, too many people dead who shouldn’t be. No-one has all the answers. We have to find them together.”

After Johnson was killed, Mike Rawlings, Dallas’ mayor, said “We believe now the city is safe”.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The oldest known gold artifact in the Americas is a necklace from Peru, according to University of Arizona anthropology professor Mark Aldenderfer. The necklace comes from a village in the Jiskairumoko range near Lake Titicaca and consists of gold that had been hammered and rolled into nine cylindrical beads, then strung with turquoise on a wool string.

Radiocarbon dating places the manufacture of the necklace from 2155 to 1936 B.C., which makes this item about 600 years older than the next oldest gold artifact that has been discovered the Americas and the oldest example of metalworking of any kind in the Americas.

Gold metallurgy is almost always associated with agricultural societies. Since the materials used in the necklace are not found in the Titicaca basin, the existence of the necklace implies the region had trade routes and a hereditary elite.

Although this discovery was made in 2004, Professor Alenderfer and his team delayed publication in order to have the gold chemically analyzed and to minimize the risk of looters damaging the site before excavation was complete.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Documents found at the hideout of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi revealed al-Qaeda‘s desire to force a war between the U.S. and Iran. The document was translated by Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie, but the authenticity of the information could not be confirmed to be from al-Qaeda.

The documents reveal that al-Zarqawi was planning to destroy the relationship between the Shi’ite Iraqis and the United States. The document also said the U.S. military was hurting the insurgency by seizure of weapons, disrupting their financial outlets, massive arrests, and training Iraqi security forces.

The translated document said, “Generally speaking and despite the gloomy present situation, we find that the best solution in order to get out of this crisis is to involve the U.S. forces in waging a war against another country or any hostile groups.”

Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said, “These documents have given us the edge over al-Qaeda and (they) also gave us the whereabouts of their network, of their leaders, of their weapons and the way they lead the organization and the whereabouts of their meetings.”

Friday, June 27, 2008

After 33 years of managing software giant Microsoft, founder Bill Gates will retire from day-to-day management today.

Gates will retain the title of Chairman but without executive functions and will only report for work once a week.

The man who took a gut feeling of seeing personal computers in every household, each requiring a stable operating system will now pursue philanthropic activities under the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Microsoft did not announce any major event to mark the day when its founder steps down but internal private activities were scheduled to take place at the company’s headquarters at Redmond, Washington.

In the year 2000, the functions of being Chief Executive of Microsoft was turned over to long-time partner Steve Ballmer.

As Gates leaves day-to-day operations, two people will assume his two vital duties. Craig Mundie will handle the company’s long-term planning while Ray Ozzie will handle the operations.

Gates will focus more on helping out in causes he chooses through his foundation that is endowed with $38.7 billion and will soon gain more funds with his personal wealth and an endowment from billionaire Warren Buffet.

Bill Gates founded Microsoft in 1975 which has since dominated the market for operating systems in personal computers. Gates managed close to 78,000 employees in 103 countries all over the world.

In recent months, Microsoft’s dominance has been threatened by Google which dominates the on-line industry and has business models that will soon eat up into Microsoft’s core software businesses.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ian Narev, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, this morning “unreservedly” apologised to clients who lost money in a scandal involving the bank’s financial planning services arm.

Last week, a Senate enquiry found financial advisers from the Commonwealth Bank had made high-risk investments of clients’ money without the clients’ permission, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars lost. The Senate enquiry called for a Royal Commission into the bank, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Mr Narev stated the bank’s performance in providing financial advice was “unacceptable”, and the bank was launching a scheme to compensate clients who lost money due to the planners’ actions.

In a statement Mr Narev said, “Poor advice provided by some of our advisers between 2003 and 2012 caused financial loss and distress and I am truly sorry for that. […] There have been changes in management, structure and culture. We have also invested in new systems, implemented new processes, enhanced adviser supervision and improved training.”

An investigation by Fairfax Media instigated the Senate inquiry into the Commonwealth Bank’s financial planning division and ASIC.

Whistleblower Jeff Morris, who reported the misconduct of the bank to ASIC six years ago, said in an article for The Sydney Morning Herald that neither the bank nor ASIC should be in control of the compensation program.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have unveiled a new roadmap for the Northern Ireland devolution process. The roadmap sets a target date for a new Northern Ireland Executive to be set up.

The roadmap, known as the Saint Andrews Agreement, came after three days of intense talks in St. Andrews, Scotland. The agreement gives dates for the steps to devolution culminating on March 26, 2007 when the Executive is to be fully up and running.

The first deadline is on November 10, 2006 during which time both parties must accept the agreement and for the first time in the history of the party, the Democratic Unionist Party will cast a vote for their rivals, Sinn Fein.

The second deadline is on November 27, 2006 in which the Northern Ireland Assembly, would gather to elect the first minister and deputy first minister of the Executive. The first minister is speculated by many to be Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. The deputy first minister is speculated to be Martin McGuinness, the deputy leader of Sinn Fein.

One of the key issues is Sinn Fein’s recognition of the Police Service of Northern Island, which replaced the controverisal Royal Ulster Constabulary. In a reassurance to unionists, the governments said they will not transfer duties over to the executive till 2008. Sinn Fein demanded an immediate transfer of power, possibly to a Sinn Fein minister. “You can’t have a democratic society unless the police are given full support,” Blair said.

After the election of ministers, three steps will take place. The Democratic Unionists will be given time to observe Sinn Fein and see if they are accepting policing. Also, in January, the Independent Monitoring Commission will give another report on the status of the Provisional Irish Republican Army revocation of violence.

Finally in March, an electoral endorsement of the Saint Andrews Agreement will take place be it either through election or referendum. Most of the participants at the summit favored a referendum, except for Ian Paisley, according to an anoynoums source who wished not be identified as he no authorization to release details publicly.

The last two final steps take place in March 2007. On March 14, the nomination of the Executive will take place.

Finally, if all goes well, the Northern Ireland Executive power-sharing government and full devolved Northern Ireland Assembly would be revived and take power on March 26, 2007. However, if the parties fail to set up the Executive or fail to agree “at any stage”, the Assembly will be dissolved and direct rule from London will continue with input from the Republic of Ireland.

Tony Blair said the essential parts of the agreement are that all parties accept policing and the courts and have a clear agreement on power-sharing. “So those are the two essential parts of it,” Mr Blair said.

Ian Paisley, the notorious hardliner evangelist who has made his political career out of saying no to comprehensive reforms, eschewed his trademark fire-brand rhetoric offered a welcome and said that the province is “at a crossroads.” Paisley said of Ulster, “a place where there is a road to democracy and where there is a road to anarchy.” Further adding, “I trust that we will see in the coming days the vast majority of people taking the road to democracy.”

Blair also added, “We’ve been through different parts of this process many times over the past few years but I think this is a sound basis to proceed.” He also said on the possible election of Paisley and McGuinness to their minister positions, “I do not think anybody will find it easy to sit in an executive with people who they are deeply opposed to, or indeed hostile to.”

Referring to Sinn Fein, Paisley stated “We will meet the requirements. But the IRA-Sinn Fein has got to meet those requirements. And when they do, we will really be on the way to peace in Northern Ireland.” Paisley left St. Andrews quickly after attending the press conference in order to be with his family for his fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams offered a guarded welcome of the plans and stated “requires thoughtful consideration and consultation.” He made no mention of policing. However, he stated the restoration of power-sharing was an “an enormous prize. Common sense, political realism and the interests of all sections of our people demand that we achieve this.”

Sir Reg Empey, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party said that the agreement was “Belfast for slower learners.” He added “Sinn Fein will sign up to the PSNI being the only force of law and order and Ian Paisley, or a colleague, will share the joint office of first and deputy first minister with Martin McGuinness in a mandatory coalition.”

Leader of the more moderate nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party, Mark Durkan stated that welcome progress had been made in devolution and that his party would continue working towards this.

The leader of the cross-community non-sectarian Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, David Ford said of the summit that the outcome of the summit was a mix of “of challenges and opportunities”. He added, “Despite all that remains to be done, there is now at least a sense of hope for a shared future.”

Direct rule from London has been in place since the Assembly and Executive dissolved in 2002 over allegations of IRA spying ring.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Marion Schaffer is running for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario provincial election, in the Oakville riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her regarding her values, her experience, and her campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.