Archives June 2021

Author Amy Scobee recounts abuse as Scientology executive

Monday, October 11, 2010

Wikinews interviewed author Amy Scobee about her book Scientology – Abuse at the Top, and asked her about her experiences working as an executive within the organization. Scobee joined the organization at age 14, and worked at Scientology’s international management headquarters for several years before leaving in 2005. She served as a Scientology executive in multiple high-ranking positions, working out of the international headquarters of Scientology known as “Gold Base”, located in Gilman Hot Springs near Hemet, California.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Author_Amy_Scobee_recounts_abuse_as_Scientology_executive&oldid=4579695”

Carving Your Home Construction Project From Inspired Wood

Carving Your Home Construction Project From Inspired Wood

by

nathanhilson

Have a home construction project? Give it a majestic finish by consulting the best

home builders in Halton

, York Barrie and the GTA. Whether your home remodeling project constitutes heritage construction or just a simple remodeling or home improvement design, the best there is in the industry partakes of quality services and workmanship catering sundry residential and commercial clients. Have your pick at the biggest dream of all: your dream home bordering your needs.

Besides choosing the right company, make sure it has a reliable site to browse all the improved houses and designs of

home construction in GTA

and the surrounding areas. Have your dream home burgeon to reality! Do not put your investment to waste, jumpstart with a master plan that will help your project satisfy your personal grandeur. Many home construction services have a list of specific works with high quality materials to add more style and class as if you have bought a new home.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPFJXHG07lw[/youtube]

With custom design plans, your project should then be managed by expert home builders who are well verse when it comes to

home remodeling in GTA

. Any restoration or remodeling project you have in mind should be factored with the following benefits: new construction; addition; renovation; roofing; masonry and foundation waterproofing handled by the home builders and general contractors of

home construction in York

, Barrie, Hamilton and the GTA.

In your area you never have to read advertisements to find out the new-looking and grand houses with custom designs drawn fro your inspiration of a dream home. Relax, or surf the net to better navigate the sample renovated or remodeled houses that fill your delight.

The additions to the services you would mostly likely to encounter are framing, post and beam addition, indoor pool, kitchen remodeling, interior and exterior design, excavation and other

home remodeling in Barrie

, York, Hamilton and the GTA. With the exemplary display of professionalism, honesty and dedication of customer service representatives, home builders and other experts, your dream home will not only materialize in the fashion of your, say, engineering or architectural home design plan, but the 100% satisfaction completely delivered to surpass your needs.

When you choose a company there will be insured and experienced artisans, architects, contractors and other experts in the business who only want to deliver quality services and produce satisfied clients laving in A+ result. Your highly-lauded company of choice is up to bring more smiles to clients residing in GTA.

You have to make sure everything is smooth and in apple-pie order when a company starts to handle your home construction project. Now if you are lacking the luxury of time, you can also visit any home remodeling website or the Gallery page of each most visited site in Barrie, York, Hamilton and the GTA.

For more information, you can click these;

home remodeling barrie

,

home construction gta

and

home builders halton

or visit http://www.ultimateconstruction.ca/.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Wikinews interviews Craig Farquharson, Liberal Democrat candidate for 2020 Groom by-election

Friday, November 27, 2020

Tomorrow, voters in the Australian electoral district of Groom are scheduled to go to the polls in a by-election following the resignation of Liberal National MP John McVeigh for family reasons. Groom is located in the state of Queensland, and is centred around the city of Toowoomba. At the last federal election, the Liberal National Party, Queensland’s dominant conservative party, won this seat by over 70% of the two-party-preferred vote, and since the seat’s creation in 1984, it has been held by conservative political parties.

Some political analysts considered this a foregone conclusion, with analyst Kevin Bonham having declared it on his blog as “Australia’s most boring by-election”, however Bonham noted the size of the swing may have been indicative of the dominant centre left Labor Party’s general performance in Queensland. There was a 4.2% swing against the Labor Party in the state of Queensland at the previous federal election.

Wikinews spoke to one of the four candidates running in the by-election, Craig Farquharson, who is running for the Liberal Democrats. Liberal Democrats describes itself as standing for “individual liberty, free markets and small government”. The party has two elected officials, who sit in the Victorian Legislative Council. Farquharson is a former military contractor and owns the King Vapealot vape store in Toowoomba.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_interviews_Craig_Farquharson,_Liberal_Democrat_candidate_for_2020_Groom_by-election&oldid=4618596”

Malaysian Home Ministry ban approved documentary

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Malaysian documentary The Last Communist was passed without cuts by the National Film Censorship board in March. Ten days before it was supposed to start screening, the Home Ministry retracted the approval.

The film made its world debut at the Berlin Film Festival 2006 without filmmaker Amir Muhammed in attendance. It also appeared at the Seattle International Film Festival 2006 and the London Film Festival 2006. It has been reviewed favorably in Variety and UK’s Sight & Sound. Sight & Sound called the film an “essayistic delight” and of Amir Muhammed “the only visible heir to the Chris Marker tradition.”

The ban comes after Berita Harian, a conservative Malay daily, printed a series of articles critical of the film and the Censorship board. In the first article, the reporters ask government ministers and professors to comment on the impact of the film. The response is wholly negative.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad issued a retraction of the approval on May 5, 2006. Deputy Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho described the reasons behind the ban as, “the public was not very happy about the movie.”

Neither the Berita Harian journalists nor their sources had seen the full movie. The article misstates that the film glorifies “the communist leader” when Chin Peng is mentioned only once throughout the film.

At the request of opposition Parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, the documentary was screened for ministers of Parliament. Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said, “The plot isn’t controversial and there’s nothing that could be deemed as offensive from the cultural viewpoint.” Lim Kit Siang called the movie, “an eye opener for all”.

On Monday, 22nd May, Radzi announced that in the annual meeting of the UMNO supreme council, in June, the government is scheduled to decide whether to keep the ban on the film, or let the people decide.

At the time of the ban, Radzi had not seen the film either.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Malaysian_Home_Ministry_ban_approved_documentary&oldid=1408367”

Marussia F1 test driver Maria de Villota seriously injured in testing accident

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Marussia F1 team’s test driver, Spaniard María de Villota, was taken to hospital by air ambulance today after a collision in testing at Duxford Aerodrome.

At the end of her first installation run, the car she was driving had a low-speed collision with the loading ramp of the team’s support truck. According to BBC Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, the car “suddenly accelerated” into the rear of the vehicle. The Marussia team released a statement an hour and a half after the accident, stating that she had been transferred to hospital, and a further statement would be issued once her condition had been assessed.

A spokesman for the East of England ambulance service, Gary Sanderson, said de Villota had “[…] sustained life-threatening injuries and following treatment at the scene by paramedics, she has been taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further care.” According to witnesses, she was motionless for about fifteen minutes as medical teams attended to her, but did move her hands before being taken away from the test track. Medical charity Magpas, whose volunteer paramedics attended the accident, reported she had sustained injuries to her head and face, and was in a ‘stable condition’ when she reached the hospital.

Marussia reported her as conscious later in the afternoon: “Since Maria’s arrival at the hospital at approximately 10.45am this morning, she has been receiving the best medical attention possible at the hospital, which is the region’s major trauma centre. Maria is conscious and medical assessments are ongoing. The team will await the outcome of these assessments before providing further comment. The team’s first priority at this time is Maria and her family.”

De Villota was announced as Marussia’s test driver in March, having prior experience driving for Alan Docking Racing in Superleague Formula in Spain.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Marussia_F1_test_driver_Maria_de_Villota_seriously_injured_in_testing_accident&oldid=1554124”

Bosu Ball Exercise Routines

Bosu Ball Exercise Routines

by

Daniel Stanley

The Bosu Ball which stands both sides utilized is relatively a novice to the fitness world. The Bosu ball is exceptionally adaptable fitness tool that can be used for every fitness regime from cardio workouts to advance athletic training programs. The Bosu ball is the ideal fitness equipment to your home gym.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARNFuSZB3OY[/youtube]

Whether your goal is to lose that unwanted weight, improve your balance or to strengthen your core muscles; this fitness ball is the perfect tool to achieve these goals. Now here are some Bosu ball exercise routines to get the ball rolling. The difficulty level of these fitness routines is Moderate, so it is best to be acquainted with the balance trainer prior to performing these Bosu exercise routines. Bosu ball power jump Place the ball with its dome part facing upward, place the balance trainer on the floor and stand a few feet behind in hold an athletic stance. Then jump high into the air and land with both feet on the ball balancing yourself completely before stepping off the ball. This is one repetition, repeat for at least eight times. Bosu ball pushup Place the Bosu ball with its platform facing upward while anchoring the dome part on the floor, hold on to the balance trainer with your legs behind you and keeping your body straight. Place your hands on both sides of the Bosu ball balance trainer at nine and three o’clock positions. Ensure that you are in the push up position. Now, lower your chest on the flat side of the balance trainer and then go back to the starting position. This is one repetition, repeat for at least eight times. Bosu ball smash This Bosu ball exercise is comparable to a Bosu ball pushup, apart from pushing yourself vigorously off the balance trainer. In performing the smash, you have to place the Bosu ball with its dome facing the floor and its platform facing towards you. Place your legs behind you while keeping your body straight. Place your hands on both sides of the Bosu ball balance trainer at nine and three o’clock positions. Now, lower your chest on the flat side of the balance trainer then quickly push your body off the floor and bringing the balance trainer to your chest. Allow the ball to absorb the force when you land. Immediately return to your starting position. This is one repetition, repeat for at least eight times. Sporadic Bosu ball lunges Place the Bosu ball balance trainer with its dome part facing down the floor. Then stand behind the ball position your feet shoulder width apart. Do lunges in forward motion with one leg while placing your foot on the Bosu ball; you have to make sure that you bend your knee. You have to balance yourself and then push off and return to your starting position. This is one repetition, repeat for at least eight times. Bosu ball sprawl Place and hold the ball with its dome facing the floor and position yourself in an athletic stance. Rapidly shoot your leg behind you and then drop yourself to the ground, spread your feet wide and let the Bosu ball soak up the shock. Reverse the routine quickly and return to your starting stance. This is one repetition, repeat for at least eight times. Bosu Ball

is an exercise tool that is very effective to help you strenghten your core. Learn about the different variations of bosu ball exercise to keep your body fit and stong. Visit

hubpages.com/hub/Bosu-Ball-Exercise

Article Source:

Bosu Ball Exercise Routines

Man attacks people, kills 7 in Akihabara, Tokyo

Sunday, June 8, 2008

A lively shopping district was suddenly struck by an indiscriminate murder spree on a Sunday afternoon. A young man attacked a crowd with a rented truck, and then stabbed people with a dagger, around 12:35 JST (3:35 UTC) on Sunday in the Akihabara district of Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The suspect, identified as Tomohiro Kat?, aged 25, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Seven people were killed, and ten injured.

The injured people include pedestrians, a 53-year-old policeman, and a taxi driver, 54, who is believed to have left his taxi in order to help a pedestrian hit by the truck. About 17 ambulances came to the scene. NHK reports that medical teams trained for disasters joined the rescue.

The dead are six men aged between 19 and 74 and a 21-year-old woman; each was identified by police.

The truck, traveling on Kanda My?jin-d?ri (Kanda My?jin Avenue), ran into the crowd at a crossing on Ch??-d?ri (Ch?? Avenue), which is a vehicle-free road every Sunday. After entering the crowd, the truck continued moving for about 30 meters. The suspect then exited the truck and began stabbing people. According to a witness, the suspect, upon being pursued by police, ran south on Ch??-d?ri and was cornered in a narrow alley. The suspect dropped his knife after the police officer drew his gun, and was overpowered by the officer and several bystanders.

The suspect has been quoted as confessing to police, “I came to Akihabara to kill people. I’m tired of the world. Anyone was OK. Today I came alone.” The suspect, a native of Aomori City, lived and worked as a dispatched temporary employee in Shizuoka Prefecture. After being held at the Manseibashi Police Station, he was sent on Tuesday to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

At the scene, a table covered with a white cloth was set for memorial flowers and other offerings on the morning of Monday, June 9. As acquaintances of the dead and passersby visited, the table soon filled—almost flooded—with flowers, drink bottles, pictures, and folded paper cranes.

The incident occurred on the same date with the 2001 Osaka school massacre, in which eight elementary school students were killed.

NHK reported the incident as confirmed within 45 minutes, interrupting a news channel program for one minute. Some newspapers created special issues to report the incident as June 8 was a Sunday and also a press holiday, many newspapers in Japan were not scheduled for delivery on that evening or the following morning.

The Akihabara district is famous for its Electric Town with wholesalers and retailers of video games or electric gadgets such as PC parts, televisions and kitchen appliances. It has also become famous for distinctive trends in cultures created or supported by the youth.

Local residents, business owners, and government officials from Chiyoda Ward assembled for an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss whether the practice of maintaining the vehicle-free area on Sundays ought to be continued. The Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission is also expected to discuss the issue.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Man_attacks_people,_kills_7_in_Akihabara,_Tokyo&oldid=771790”

Israeli PM Ariel Sharon undergoes emergency surgery

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent emergency surgery at Hadassah Medical Center in Israel to treat intestinal damage revealed by a recent computed tomography, better known as a CT scan. The Chief Surgeon said, “Sharon is out of danger, for the moment. His condition is stable and the surgery was a success.” Sharon is currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.

Yesterday doctors treating Sharon had noticed a swollen abdomen and ordered a CT scan on his torso and found the damage to his intestine. Later tests had shown that part of the large intestine had developed necrosis and needed to be immediately removed.

Hospital director Shlomo Mor-Yosef stated a press conference that there were “no complications” during surgery. “His (Sharon’s) key problem is lack of consciousness. There is no significant change in his condition. Doctors did not find any occluded artery and there were no blood vessels blocked. He is stable but in critical condition at this time and he is in no immediate danger at this moment.”

Yosef also said that Sharon’s sons and family had met earlier and decided to go forward with the surgery and treatment.

Doctors removed at least 50cm of Sharon’s large intestine.

Yosef also said that possible reasons as to why Sharon’s intestine was damaged were, “maybe infection or decline of blood supply to the intestine.” Yosef also said that the surgery was both a “routine procedure” and “not a dramatic” one. “Hospitals perform these operations sometimes two or three times a day,” he added.

Yael Bossem-Levy, a spokesman for Hadassah Medical Center said earlier that, “the prime minister’s life is in danger. His condition is now very serious, or critical. Sharon’s digestive tract has undergone severe deterioration while he’s been unconscious, and there appears to be a blockage in his blood circulation. The restricted blood flow raised the possibility of necrosis, or death of tissue, in the intestines.”

Levy also stated that Sharon’s condition has “deteriorated to its most critical point since his admission.”

The 77 year-old leader has been hospitalized since January 4th, after suffering a massive stroke which left him comatose. This is his seventh surgery since his hospitalization.

Sharon has been hospitalized for thirty-nine days, and has been on a feeding tube for two weeks.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Israeli_PM_Ariel_Sharon_undergoes_emergency_surgery&oldid=4230545”

U.S. President Obama’s farewell address focuses on accomplishment

Thursday, January 12, 2017

United States President Barack Obama gave his official farewell address on Tuesday night from McCormick Place in Chicago, reflecting on personal and national accomplishments. This is expected to be his last major speech before officially handing the reins to president-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

“Its why GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan – and why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.”

Obama’s speech was wide-ranging. He thanked his family and the nation, spoke of the need for unity, noted the country’s accomplishments and need for improvement in areas like education and civil rights, and spoke about the need for pride in U.S. accomplishments, citing milestones of U.S. history and of his presidency specifically. “It’s why GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan – and why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.”

The president also addressed his country’s troubled history with race and racism, an issue many black citizens feel he has avoided. Despite this, Chauncy Devega of Salon described the president as “a role model of calm, cool reflective black masculinity: a man utterly at home in his own skin.” Obama described the concept of a post-racial U.S. “unrealistic” and particularly cited the need for reform in education and the criminal justice system and greater acceptance of scientific evidence, particularly evidence supporting action to counteract climate change.

However, publications including The Washington Post and Salon have given particular focus to another aspect of the president’s address: the country’s increasing political tensions and controversies involving access to news and information, both accurate and inaccurate. “We become so secure and our bubbles,” said Obama, “that we start accepting only information, whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there,” calling this trend “a third threat to our democracy.”

The Washington Post characterized Obama’s comment, “If every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hard-working white middle class and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves,” as a “not-so-subtle jab” at the campaign tactics of President-elect Donald Trump. The Telegraph describes Obama’s warnings about the need to protect democracy as “a thinly veiled slight to the divisive rhetoric of Donald Trump’s election campaign, which included attacks on Muslims, the disabled, women and immigrants.” The president went on to call on the public to “reject the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest or to enfeeble the sacred ties that make us one America. We weaken those ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive […] We weaken those ties when we define some of us as more American than others when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt and when we sit back and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them. It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy.”

Despite this, when the mention of Donald Trump brought boos from the crowd, Obama reiterated the importance of the long history of peaceful transfers of power from one president to the next: “No no no no no. […] I committed to President-elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me.” However, this was not unaccompanied by a call to action. Near the end of the speech, he insisted citizens dissatisfied with elected officials should “lace up your shoes, grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office yourself.”

Overall, the departing president’s speech focused on accomplishment, echoing the “Yes we can” slogan from his 2008 campaign: “If I have told you eight years ago, that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history. If I had told you, that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, take out the mastermind of 9/11[…] If I had told you that we would win a marriage equality and secure the right to health insurance for another twenty million of our fellow citizens. If I had told you all that, you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that’s what we did.”

But when the crowd began shouting “Four more years! Four more years!” Obama, with a small laugh, answered, “I can’t do that.”

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._President_Obama%27s_farewell_address_focuses_on_accomplishment&oldid=4292157”

Starbucks Human Resource Management Policies

Starbucks was originated by three coffee lovers, Gordon Bowker (Bowker), Jerry Baldwin (Baldwin), and Zev Siegl (Siegl). It was considered as one of the best companies around the globe. Starbucks is always concerned about its employees. It was one of the few corporations to provide extensive support to both full time workers as well as part time workers. It was always ensured at Starbucks that the workforce is encouraged which will in low employee turnover rate.

Starbucks realized at an early stage that employees play a very important role in the success and in generating sales revenue for the company. Therefore the company took every possible step to facilitate its employees and take good care of them by selecting the right people for the company. It has always showed confidence on its baristas and other staff members to a great extent in creating the ‘Starbucks Experience’ different from its competitors. The ultimate goal of the company was to pay attention on the hiring process. Starbucks hired people with the qualities of flexibility, reliability and the capability to work in a team. Starbucks has chosen the right kind of people and train them with the skills they would entail to perform their jobs proficiently. Starbucks invested significantly in employee training and managing the human resource policies. At Starbucks employees are provided to work in a great environment with dignity and respect for each other.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plz6S9PqZw8[/youtube]
  • Recruitment and Selection Policy

Starbucks is one of the leading companies of the world, having a magnificent growth rate of 12% quarterly. It hires 200 new employees every single day which is undoubtedly a large number. The procedure of hiring includes selection of the right candidate, interviewing them and also asking them to taste the coffee and allowing them to write notes about it which is definitely appreciated. Starbucks also asks its recruiters and HR managers to send gifts or souvenirs to all the applicants whether they are hired or not, they should always be treated as a family of Starbucks The process of employment in Starbucks is precisely designed for the job that is needed to be filled. Starbucks provides a platform of diversity to its employees where they are eager to learn and develop opportunities for themselves. At Starbucks, the employees who cleared the interview session are given proper and professional training before final selection. According to a source Human Right Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index Rating, Starbucks earned a 100% rating for the 4th consecutive year.

  • Reward Policy

Employees at Starbucks are considered to be the most important assets for the company. A lot of free incentives are provided to the employees of Starbucks including free health care that also includes vision and dental care facilities. A special benefit for the employees who work more than 20 hours in three months are given free drinks, free coffee or tea every week. The salaries of employees are increased on the basis of their performance evaluation that are conducted twice in a year and are raised up to 5%. Company does not give any monetary bonuses to its employees but it gives a benefit of 30% discount on all the items that they buy from Starbucks. Green Apron concept in Starbucks provides a social and environmental responsibility of the individual employee through which they are awarded with the recognition cards and performance based points.

  • Employee’s Development Policy

Starbucks has designed a number of employee development training for its staff at all levels. All the training provided to the employees helps them to boost their skills and align themselves with the customer demands. Starbucks provides training programs to its employees that includes; customer handling techniques, coffee making workshops and customer care programs.

Most of the Starbucks workforceis below 20 years of age, and the incentives Starbucks is providing to its employees are all attractive and beneficial for them. All the policies that Starbucks has developed for its employees have a significant impact on their performance. The reason for Starbucks success is due to the substantial high performance of the organization as well as its employees. The effective HR policies of any company makes it prominent and leading just like Starbucks.