Arsonist behind Namdaemun gate fire in Seoul imprisoned for 10 years

Posted on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Friday, April 25, 2008

The arsonist responsible for setting fire to the historic Sungnyemun gate (more commonly referred to as Namdaemun gate) in Seoul, South Korea in February has been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. The 600-year-old landmark was considred one of the nation’s greatest and most iconic, with some sources describing it as the single most important one in the country.

The 69-year-old male defendant has a previous conviction from two years ago for attempting to torch the Changgyeong palace, for which he received a suspended prison sentence and was fined. It is understood he destroyed the Namdaemun gate and attacked the palace over an unconnected land ownership dispute which had angered him. He felt that the compulsory purchase of his home a decade ago had been inadequatly compensated for by the state.

After the fire, residents left flowers at the scene and wrote grieving notes.

Chae Jong-Gi, who admitted the crime, was told of the seriousness of the offence in a statement by the Seoul district court. “A heavy sentence is inevitable as the accused inflicted unbearable agony on the people and damaged national pride… (The monument was) the treasure among all treasures which had survived all kinds of historic disasters. Even if restored, the gate’s originality will never return. Therefore, the nature and consequences of this crime are very serious,” said the statement.

The man is thought to have selected the gate as a target due to lax security measures. In the fire’s aftermath, officials have been criticised over this and concerns that firefighting efforts were ineffective, and the Cultural Heritage Administration‘s chief resigned to show he accepted responsibility for the blaze.

The two storey gate in pagoda style was constructed in 1398 and despite a 1447 rebuild and multiple renovations still contained original timbers prior to the destruction in the fire. Only the stone base survived.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, a reconstruction effort will take two to three years and cost 20 billion won (US$21 million).

Kyrgyzstan: Ethnic unrest continues, government asks Russia for help

Posted on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Saturday, June 12, 2010

A second day of ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks has killed at least 62 people and wounded over 800 more, reports say, as violence there entered its second day. The interim Kyrgyz president, Roza Otunbayeva, meanwhile, appealed to the Russian government to send in troops to try and restore order.

The clashes are occurring primarily in the southern city of Osh. Witnesses say the chaos and violence has increased, and central authority collapsed, with gunfire audible throughout the city. The violence started on Thursday night, when ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks started street brawls that soon escalated into battles; riots and looting started, cars were damaged, and buildings set alight by both sides.

In a nationally televised speech, Otunbayeva commented: “I have signed a letter asking Dmitry Medvedev for third-party forces to be sent to the Kyrgyz Republic. Since yesterday the situation has got out of control. We need outside military forces to halt the situation. For this reason we have appealed to Russia for help.”

Russian officials say the Kyrgyz leader had talks with Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin by telephone yesterday night.

Thousands of Uzbeks, meanwhile, have crowded the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in an effort to flee the ongoing conflict; one child was trampled to death during the escape. According to a reporter for the BBC, people are being let through the border one by one by security guards.

By the latest official death tolls, at least 62 people have been killed, although the interim government believes that there could be up to 200 dead. Researcher for Human Rights Watch Andrea Berg cautioned that the death toll could jump once the government enters Uzbek neighbourhoods; under Uzbek tradition, the dead are buried within one day.

“We are moving corpses out of the city streets; however, there are regions that the authorities do not control, it is not known what is going on there. Additionaly, as a result of fires in the city, entire residential apartments burnt down, so there could be more dead people there as well,” said a spokesman for the Russian ministry of health (Minzdrav).

Unrest also reached the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek; a medical official told the Agence France-Presse news service that 27 people were hospitalised, some of which are in critical condition.

Dollhouses A Hobby For Life

Posted on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018Categories Home Builder

By Veronica Scott

It’s always fun to have a hobby in life.

Hobbies can help keep the creative juices flowing for all ages. As you become more proficient in your hobby, there is always the possibility of making a little money too. And what better way to make a few extra bucks than doing something that you absolutely love?

Finding a hobby is not hard. You can always peruse a local bookstore or the Internet to find an area that interests you. Or just make a hobby out of something you have a talent in and enjoy doing. The world of hobbies is an endless array of possibilities just waiting to be explored by you.

One of the most popular hobbies that have stood the test of time has been constructing dollhouses. The dollhouse has been a staple in the lives of children all over the world, and it has emerged from its humble beginnings to be considered a work of art. If you enjoy building and constructing things, dollhouses could be the hobby for you.

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

But where do you start?

The answer is easy. For first-time builders, it is best to begin with a dollhouse kit. These can be found at any arts and crafts store and offer a wide array of choices. Dollhouses can be made to resemble period homes, such as Victorian-style buildings, or even your own home. Dollhouses can also be more than just a typical ‘house.’ You can make your dollhouse into a post office, a hotel, a restaurant, pub and even a hospital.

Once you decide upon a kit, the next thing you need to do is figure out what you want to add to the dollhouse to make it unique. Some builders like to keep things simple, using wood or left-over pieces of material from housing projects. Other individuals like to make their homes elaborate and will use high-end materials like slate or brick. The choice is up to you.

Once the structure is constructed, the real fun can begin. You will need to pick out paint colors, wallpaper prints, and flooring. You will also need furniture to fill out your dollhouse, and depending on the type of detail you want, some dollhouses are outfitted with electricity. This is the point when your hobby acquires your special ‘signature,’ making the dollhouse unique and beautiful.

Once the dollhouse is constructed and all the work is completed, you have several options available. You can keep the house for any children you have or you can just display it in your home for others to enjoy. Lots of individuals take pleasure in looking at tiny replicas. You can decide to sell your dollhouse and make a return on what you invested in it. Or you can donate the house to local charity auctions.

So the next time you are trying to figure what you want to do with your spare time, give the idea of making dollhouses a whirl. You may end up finding a passion you never knew existed!

About the Author: Learn more about the fascinating world of miniatures. Visit TheMagicalDollhouse.com today for a great selection of

doll houses

and dollhouse accessories from top miniature companies.

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Space Shuttle Endeavour lands in California

Posted on January 22, 2018January 22, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Monday, December 1, 2008

After windy and stormy conditions in Florida prevented its planned landing at Kennedy Space Center, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) decided to redirect the space shuttle Endeavour to California. It touched down successfully at Edwards Air Force Base at 1:25 p.m. local time, or 21:25, November 30, 2008 (UTC).

NASA normally prefers to land space shuttles at its home base, Kennedy Space Center. In this case, NASA will have to transfer Endeavour atop a jumbo jet from California to Florida at an estimated cost of US$1.8 million.

NASA had launched mission STS-126 on November 14 with eight astronauts led by Commander Christopher J. Ferguson. The mission was intended to make improvements to the International Space Station, including a new bathroom, sleeping quarters, and urine recycling system. The crew also successfully cleared metal shavings from a jammed solar wing rotary joint, which had affected energy production.

Upon the landing, Mission Control radioed, “Welcome back. That was a great way to finish a fantastic flight.”

“And we’re happy to be here in California,” replied Ferguson.

Arsonist behind Namdaemun gate fire in Seoul imprisoned for 10 years

Posted on January 22, 2018January 22, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Friday, April 25, 2008

The arsonist responsible for setting fire to the historic Sungnyemun gate (more commonly referred to as Namdaemun gate) in Seoul, South Korea in February has been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. The 600-year-old landmark was considred one of the nation’s greatest and most iconic, with some sources describing it as the single most important one in the country.

The 69-year-old male defendant has a previous conviction from two years ago for attempting to torch the Changgyeong palace, for which he received a suspended prison sentence and was fined. It is understood he destroyed the Namdaemun gate and attacked the palace over an unconnected land ownership dispute which had angered him. He felt that the compulsory purchase of his home a decade ago had been inadequatly compensated for by the state.

After the fire, residents left flowers at the scene and wrote grieving notes.

Chae Jong-Gi, who admitted the crime, was told of the seriousness of the offence in a statement by the Seoul district court. “A heavy sentence is inevitable as the accused inflicted unbearable agony on the people and damaged national pride… (The monument was) the treasure among all treasures which had survived all kinds of historic disasters. Even if restored, the gate’s originality will never return. Therefore, the nature and consequences of this crime are very serious,” said the statement.

The man is thought to have selected the gate as a target due to lax security measures. In the fire’s aftermath, officials have been criticised over this and concerns that firefighting efforts were ineffective, and the Cultural Heritage Administration‘s chief resigned to show he accepted responsibility for the blaze.

The two storey gate in pagoda style was constructed in 1398 and despite a 1447 rebuild and multiple renovations still contained original timbers prior to the destruction in the fire. Only the stone base survived.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, a reconstruction effort will take two to three years and cost 20 billion won (US$21 million).

Wikinews interviews Frank McEnulty, independent candidate for US President

Posted on January 21, 2018January 21, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Saturday, February 16, 2008

While nearly all cover of the 2008 Presidential election has focused on the Democratic and Republican candidates, there are small political parties offering candidates, and those who choose to run without a party behind them, independents.

Wikinews is interviewing some of these citizens who are looking to become the 43rd person elected to serve their nation from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

First off is Long Beach, California’s Frank McEnulty (b. 1956), a married father of two with an MBA (Venture Management) and BS (Accounting/Finance).

Book A Celebrity To Add Sizzle To Your Next Event}

Posted on January 20, 2018March 12, 2018Categories Watch Online

Submitted by: Dennis Jarvis

We live in a world obsessed with celebrity. Over the last decade, you’ve seen the advent of being famous for…well…for being famous. There are certain events where booking a celebrity can add the right pop for the budget. Booking celebrities is more akin to comedians than to bands in that the actual event is pretty easy to manage. Typically, large sound systems and/or crews will not be needed. Granted, you may have to provide chocolate-covered chocolate (I’ve actually had that requested) or vegan KFC but aside from the occasional odd request, celebrities are relatively easy to book assuming the check has the right amount on it. Speaking of checks, most people are pretty surprised at how inexpensive it can be to book some pretty big names on the celebrity circuit.

Obviously, there are certain venues and/or events which are more suitable for a great celebrity entrance so let’s take a look at the options.

So you have an event coming up and need a celebrity to make things a little more exciting. We can provide a great personality for your event. Please let us know your budget and we will find the right celeb for your club, party, fund-raiser or whatever you are planning. Probably the best approach with celebrities is to give you some examples to open the flood-gates of creativity. What usually happens with a client looking to book celebrities is that they suddenly get tunnel vision and only one or two come to mind. It’s pretty common and even poor Ralphie had it when asked by Santa Clause what he wanted for Christmas. “A Football??” Let’s take a quick look as the possible landscape.

Do you need a great celebrity performer? Book Kaya Jones Formerly of the Pussycat Dollshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzBkM6LoaQQ

How about Nicole Scherzinger founder of the Pussycat Dolls and star of “The Sing Off”http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/about/nicole.shtml

Bring inMaiara Walsh for your next event,the actress who playedAna SolisonDesperate Housewives, and asMeena Paroomon theDisney ChannelsitcomCory in the House. She also starred in theVampire Diariesas Sarah, a high schooler who likes to party.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiara_Walsh

Let’s say that you need a hot model for the special night at your club. You can bring inLauryn Bocook or a similar model for the night.

http://theoriginalwinger.com/2009-10-09-lauryn-bocook-beautiful-women

If your budget is bigger maybe you want Matthew Morrison star of Glee: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1285162/

Another actress who is interested in doing events isArielle Kebbel who you’ve seen in Vampires Suck, Gilmore Girls and other shows:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444223/

Maybe your audience is a little younger, book Victoria Justice for your next event geared for teens:http://www.victoriajustice.net/

Is your fraternity planning a Spring fundraiser? Bring in super hot modelKristina Colonna to kick off that wet t-shirt contest:

http://www.spike.com/photos/kristina-colonna/33421

Other celebs to consider:

Ashley Tisdale:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Tisdale

http://www.ashleytisdale.com/

Robert Pattinson

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1500155/

Miranda Cosgrove

http://www.mirandacosgroveofficial.com/us/home

Selma Blair

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004757/

Mitchell Musso

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1102053/

Vanessa Hudgens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_Hudgens

Jeannette Mccurdy

Home

David Archuleta

http://www.davidarchuleta.com/us/home

Anna Paquin

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001593/

Katerina Graham

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries/cast/katerina-graham

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0334159/

Stephen Moyer

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0610459/

Natasha Alam

Natasha Alam From Uzbekistan To Hollywood

Ashley Greene

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2230865/

Christian Serratos

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1589312/

You can see that the options are almost limitless. With a budget, intended audience, venue, and vibe, we can do this all day! Let us help you book the right celebrity for your event.

About the Author: BookmyTalent.net offers guidance based on over 25 years of experience in booking talent including celebrities, bands, comedians, and politicians including the biggest names in the industry.

Book talent, book bands, book celebrities, book comedians online with a professional

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isnare.com/?aid=690375&ca=Entertainment }

Twitter to allow censorship of posts on a country by country basis

Posted on January 20, 2018January 20, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The microblogging service Twitter has changed its software support for censoring posts. With the new updates, Twitter can now withdraw individual posts and accounts in specific countries, as opposed to a global deletion. Twitter announced these changes in a blog post on Thursday, and released a clarification update on Friday.

Twitter says it needed to make the changes to expand on an international level. It said in a blog post entitled Tweets still must flow, “we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression. Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there. Others are similar but, for historical or cultural reasons, restrict certain types of content, such as France or Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content.” Twitter says it will use the new feature only “when required to do so in response to what we believe to be a valid and applicable legal request.”

We will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression.

The new tools will give Twitter the ability to withdraw posts and entire accounts in selected countries. Once the posts have been withdrawn, they are replaced with a message saying: “This Tweet/account has been withheld in: Country.” and then links to a support page.

The social network has been used in the past as an outlet for political expression. During the Arab Spring, protesters in various countries used Twitter to mobilize support and report information to the outside world.

Some users have proposed boycotting Twitter. The organization Reporters without Borders sent an open letter to Twitter’s chairman, Jack Dorsey, saying “We urge you to reverse this decision, which restricts freedom of expression and runs counter to the movements opposed to censorship that have been linked to the Arab Spring, in which Twitter served as a sounding board… Twitter is depriving cyberdissidents in repressive countries of a crucial tool for information and organization.”

Digital security researchers publicly reveal vulnerability in WPA2 WiFi protocol

Posted on January 19, 2018January 19, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Thursday, October 19, 2017

On Monday, digital security researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Frank Piessens of Belgium’s KU Leuven university publicly disclosed a security vulnerability in the WPA2 Wi-Fi (wireless local-area networking) protocol, which they called KRACK (for Key Reinstallation Attack). Their study claimed KRACK affects every modern device using Wi-Fi; it can be fixed by a software update, researchers said.

Vanhoef wrote, “Attackers can use this novel attack technique to read information that was previously assumed to be safely encrypted. This can be abused to steal sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, photos and so on.” Vanhoef notified vendors about the flaw in July, including UNIX-like operating system OpenBSD. “If your device supports Wi-Fi, it is most likely affected. […] In general, any data or information that the victim transmits can be decrypted”, he wrote.

The study papers, which were submitted for review on May 19, were kept in confidence allowing companies to fix the security flaw. The United States-based Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) informed vendors on August 28. The Wi-Fi Alliance said it “could be resolved through a straightforward software update.” OpenBSD released their software patch on August 30.

Exploring the flaw which affected every device the researchers had tested, National Cyber Security Centre of the UK said “the attacker would have to be physically close to the target”. But due to this flaw, an attacker can send malware or ransomware on the websites, Vanhoef claimed.

Linux-based operating systems including Android v6.0 and higher are especially affected by this flaw, while Windows and iOS are not as vulnerable as Android by this flaw as they do not fully implement WPA2.

Microsoft reportedly has released security patches for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. Google said Android operating systems would receive the updates in the software update scheduled to be made available on November 6. Apple has implemented the patch in the beta versions of their operating system iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS, however it is yet to roll out patches for stable operating systems.

WPA2 protocol has been used for more than a decade, and has been compulsory for Wi-Fi since 2006. KRACK would also affect various home appliances which can be controlled over Wi-Fi, within the so-called “Internet of things”. Andrew Martin from Oxford University said, “We can be sure a lot of these devices won’t be patched[…] Whether that matters for this attack or only for some future attack is yet to be seen.”

The study and its findings are scheduled for presentation at the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Computer and Communications Security conference on November 1.

Japanese national team beats ACT softball team

Posted on January 19, 2018January 19, 2018Categories Uncategorized

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hawker, Australian Capital Territory — Tonight, the Japanese national team beat the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) softball team 1–0 in the first of a two game series before Japan plays a three game test series against the Australian national team.

The game was a low scoring pitching duel. Japan brought five pitchers to Canberra for their Australian tour. Since the last Olympics, Japan has been in a rebuilding period. The side is young and many of their best players have not had much international experience. One of their best pitchers is only nineteen years old.

The ACT side included Australian national team members Aimee Murch and Clare Warwick; Olympic bronze medalist Brenda De Blaes; Victorian state team representative, national team member and Olympic bronze medalist Justine Smethurst; and Clare Currie, who narrowly missed the cut for the national team.

De Blaes started the top of the first with a hit. She ended the inning stranded on base. Murch was pitching for the ACT to start the bottom of the first. Number 15 for Japan opened the inning with a single, and was advanced to third on another single. She was tagged out after trying to score a run after her teammate hit a pop up caught by the ACT’s centre fielder. Number 6 hit a double during this inning, scoring Japan’s only run.

The top of the second saw ACT players 1, 5 and 3 tagged out after hits to the infield. The bottom of the second saw number 13 out on a foul ball caught on the fly by the ACT’s third baseman, and number 11 and 24 out on balls hit into and caught by the ACT’s centre fielder.

The top of third inning saw numbers 24 and 21 ground out. De Blaes ended the inning by striking out. The bottom of the third saw Japan’s first batter ground out, number 8 getting a single on an infield hit, another playing getting an out, and the inning ending with number 11 hitting an infield ground out.

The rest of the game followed much the same pattern. Two players, an ACT player and a Japanese, were struck by balls and required trainers to look at them. Smethurst came in and pitched a few innings in relief. Between the fifth and sixth innings, there was a small delay in the game when a dog named Streaker, owned by Australia men’s national softball team player Adam Folkard, ran onto the the infield.

The game ended 1–0. An announcement was made at the end of the game that the match scheduled for tomorrow would start fifteen minutes earlier than the advertised start time of 18:00.