Jimmy Wales asks Wikipedian to resign “his positions of trust” over nonexistent degrees

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Saturday, March 3, 2007: with update as of March 4, 2007.

Controversy and discussion erupted on internet forums on 28 February 2007, when publicity was given to Essjay, a prominent Wikipedia administrator and editor, having claimed false credentials which were published in a magazine. Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia co-founder Jimbo Wales was travelling in India, and at 06:42 on March 3 he issued a statement that further information had come to his attention and he had asked the editor to resign his positions of trust within the community. At 03:17 on March 4 Essjay announced on his user talk page that he had retired and was no longer active on Wikipedia.

The affair became public when the The New Yorker issued a retraction to their article about Wikipedia which they had published at the end of July 2006, stating that biographical details they had printed about an administrator and contributor they had interviewed had been found to be false, even though he had confirmed the accuracy of these details as shown on his user page while remaining anonymous.

The Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Stacy Schiff was referred by the Wikimedia Foundation for an interview for the article to Wikipedia administrator Essjay, a member of Wikipedia’s arbitration committee and generally trusted member of the community.

One regular on the site is a user known as Essjay, who holds a Ph.D. in theology and a degree in canon law and has written or contributed to sixteen thousand entries. A tenured professor of religion at a private university…

EssJay had fabricated a persona which he described on his user page on Wikipedia, presenting himself as a tenured professor at a private US university. After the news broke, EssJay claimed that the false details were intended to avoid cyberstalking.

The following is an excerpt of a statement Wales issued on his talk page:

I have been for several days in a remote part of India with little or no Internet access. I only learned this morning that EssJay used his false credentials in content disputes. I understood this to be primarily the matter of a pseudonymous identity (something very mild and completely understandable given the personal dangers possible on the Internet) and not a matter of violation of people’s trust. I want to make it perfectly clear that my past support of EssJay in this matter was fully based on a lack of knowledge about what has been going on. Even now, I have not been able to check diffs, etc.

I have asked EssJay to resign his positions of trust within the community. In terms of the full parameters of what happens next, I advise (as usual) that we take a calm, loving, and reasonable approach. From the moment this whole thing became known, EssJay has been contrite and apologetic. People who characterize him as being “proud” of it or “bragging” are badly mistaken.

On a personal level, EssJay has apologized to me, and I have accepted his apology on a personal level, and I think this is the right thing to do. If anyone else feels that they need or want a personal apology, please ask him for it. And if you find it to be sincere, then I hope you will accept it too, but each person must make their own judgments. Despite my personal forgiveness, I hope that he will accept my resignation request, because forgiveness or not, these positions are not appropriate for him now.

I still have limited net access… for a couple of hours here I will be online, and then I am offline until I am in Japan tomorrow morning. I believe I will have a fast and stable Internet connection at that time, and I will deal with this further at that time.

Wikipedia is built on (among other things) twin pillars of trust and tolerance. The integrity of the project depends on the core community being passionate about quality and integrity, so that we can trust each other. The harmony of our work depends on human understanding and forgiveness of errors.

Essjay revealed his identity as Ryan Jordan, a 24-year-old with no advanced degrees, who has never taught, when he was hired by Wikia, a company that runs community-based wikis.

Jordan has since posted that he was shocked Schiff would publish such information; “It was, quite honestly, my impression that it was well known that I was not who I claimed to be, and that in the absence of any confirmation, no respectible publication would print it.”

Five-hundred edits were made to his talk page between 09:45, March 1, 2007 and 17:04, March 3, 2007, and the barrage of comments was expected to continue for an extended period. EssJay subsequently retired from the English Wikipedia, and requested that his bureaucrat, checkuser, oversight, and sysop privileges be revoked.

Wikipedia allows its users to be anonymous, by creating usernames as pseudonyms. However, it is considered unethical to purposely misrepresent oneself to the media, or to use unjustified claims to qualifications to support arguments with other contributors.

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Installing A Church Sound System

By Edward Kendricks

No matter what the size of your church is you probably have music of some kind. If you attend a bigger church you probably have a full band or a choir that needs to be heard by the congregation. This means that you will need a good PA system in your church to get the best sound possible. The PA system will help the person speaking be heard much more clearly. Also, in many churches the music is the centerpiece of the worship service which makes having sound very important. What is the point of having a band and singers if that cannot all be heard properly by those in attendance?

Depending on the budget of the church there are many options available in sound systems they can have installed in their place of worship. There are many companies that can do this and it is wise to have them send out a professional to install the system so that is installed correctly. They can make sure that everything is connected properly so that no speakers get blown and the system works properly for an extended period of time. They can also make sure that the PA system is installed so that it does not detract from the overall look and feel of the church during the service. You want your sound system to make the service better and more enjoyable. You do not want your sound system to be distracting to detract from the service in any way. A trained professional will be able to make sure that the PA system sounds good and fits into the design of your church.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8jM3rSSuwY[/youtube]

There are many things that you need to consider when you are deciding what kind of PA system you want to have installed in your building. The most important of these aspects is how big you church is. If you have a larger church you are going to need a larger more state of the art system that can fill a big room and not distort from getting too loud. It needs to be able to handle the power that is needed to sound good in a big room. You will probably need both regular PA speakers and subs so that the low end does not blow out the speakers because of the bigger amount of power. You will also need a lot of good power amps to get a good clean sound as well.

Another thing you need to consider is what kind of presentations that you are going to be putting on. If your church just has a speaker and a piano player you will not a big mixing board to handle all of the channels you will need. If you have a large band with a choir you will need a bigger mixing board and probably a dedicated sound guy to handle all of the inputs for microphones and instruments that the service will require.

No matter what style of church you attend you will need some kind of PA system to help make your service more enjoyable and clear for those in attendance.

About the Author: Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (www.cts-networks.co.uk), a UK

church PA system

installer.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

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Commonwealth Bank of Australia CEO apologies for financial planning scandal

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.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia CEO apologies for financial planning scandal

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.

Brie Burkeman Agent

Brie Burkeman – Agent

by

Gumbowriters

How long have you been agent and how did you get your start Brie?

I started as a secretarial assistant at Curtis Brown (UK) thirty years ago, learnt the trade and after three years left and helped set up the Directors Guild of Great Britain. I then joined Jonathan Clowes Ltd and for sixteen years was a director there before taking a short break and setting up my own agency nine years ago. Having worked in tandem with Serafina Clarke for many years, we this month decided to consolidate our companies and so have just embarked on the next stage of life with Brie Burkeman & Serafina Clarke Ltd.

What makes your agency different than any others?

Our agency is a small, boutique agency, but we still work in all mediums; book, film, theatre and television. Being our own agency and small means the list can be as eclectic and, within commercial boundaries, as subjective as we like. I love finding that new voice but I also love the challenge of a well published or produced author who needs a new look at their career. We take the long view with our clients rather than looking at the short term.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJgDsYedwV0[/youtube]

What are you looking for specifically that you wish you would see more of?

The same thing were always looking for; original, commercial ideas combined with beautiful writing. The combination often feels like looking for the philosophers stone.

Brie what are you tired of receiving?

Badly conceived, unfinished material that isnt suitable for our agency in the first place. For instance, all the guidelines say we dont handle musicals. Does that seem to stop people sending them to us? Unfortunately no. There is so much good advice out there for writers now, not least on this site and your YouTube tips, on how to approach agents, how to prepare your material and what not to send that if a writer ignores all this information it doesnt encourage an agent to respond in the positive.

How can a new writer get your attention in a good way?

Follow the guidelines I mention, and these are available in free form in libraries, on the web etc. Get as much advice before approaching myself or another agent about the genre youre writing for and see if, for instance, the length is right. If you are writing a commercial novel for todays market and your book is only 35,000 words, its not long enough. If youre writing an authoritative book on, say, the mating habits of the American eagle, research your subject. Tell me why you are the person to write this book and what else is on the market that would be competition but why this book would be better. A new author doesnt have to be an expert in the publishing world but if they are interested in becoming a published author then some homework wouldnt go amiss.

How can a signed writer stay in your radar without driving you insane?

Im pleased to say that because our list is so small, we dont have a problem staying in touch with our clients. The beauty of email is that a short note saying hello can be replied to with an equally short note. Email is also great for helping to be in touch around the world quicker, cheaper and easier than in the past; our clients are spread around the world; they currently live in the USA, Britain, Ireland, Japan and France and we have no problems being in constant touch.

What do you wish more writers understood about you as an agent Brie that they don’t seem to?

Although being a small agency has many benefits it also of course means that we dont have the manpower to deal with the level of submissions that some of the larger agencies do. For instance a writers group in Arizona recently recommended us to their attendees and we received two hundred emails over four days. In that instance we just had to do a mass rejection as we couldnt deal with each proposal individually. As an agent, I am dependent on writers for my livelihood and I love nothing more than finding a new writer and working with them to build their career. That takes time and dedication and doesnt happen overnight. It also means reading a great deal of material and that also takes time.

What are your submission guidelines?

Our basic guidelines are available in all the good trade directories and on many of the good writers sites, but for our more detailed guidelines please visit: www.burkemanandclarke.com

This article is courtesy of http://www.gumbowriters.com

Article Source:

Brie Burkeman – Agent

Rachel Weisz wants Botox ban for actors

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 

English actress Rachel Weisz thinks that Botox injections should be banned for all actors.

The 39-year-old actress, best known for her roles in the Mummy movie franchise and for her Academy Award-winning portrayal in The Constant Gardener, feels facial Botox injections leave actors less able to convey emotion and that it harms the acting industry as much as steroids harm athletes.

In an interview with UK’s Harper’s Bazaar, coming out next month, Weisz says, “It should be banned for actors, as steroids are for sportsmen,” she claims. “Acting is all about expression; why would you want to iron out a frown?”

Currently living in New York, she also mentions that English women are much less worried about their physical appearance than in the United States. “I love the way girls in London dress,” she claimed. “It’s so different to the American ‘blow-dry and immaculate grooming’ thing.”

Acting teacher and director Milton Katselas dies at age 75

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 

Acting teacher and director Milton Katselas died Friday at age 75, after suffering from heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He began the Beverly Hills Playhouse in 1978 and taught acting classes there to noted actors including George Clooney and Gene Hackman. Katselas is survived by a sister and two brothers.

Katselas directed an off-Broadway production of Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, and received a Tony Award nomination for his 1969 direction of Butterflies are Free. Actress Blythe Danner won a Tony Award for her role in Butterflies are Free under Katselas’ direction. He moved to California to direct the film version of that play, and went on to direct films and television movies. Actress Eileen Heckart received an Academy Award for her role in the film version of Butterflies are Free.

Katselas directed the San Francisco and Los Angeles productions of the play P.S. Your Cat Is Dead! by playwright James Kirkwood, Jr. In his author’s notes in the publication of the script, Kirkwood acknowledged Katselas, and wrote that the plays were “directed with incredible energy and enthusiasm by Milton Katselas, to whom I am extremely indebted”.

Katselas directed the television movie Strangers: Story of a Mother and Daughter, and actress Bette Davis received an Emmy Award for her role in the movie. Katselas taught many famous actors including Michelle Pfeiffer, Richard Gere, Robert Duvall, Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Goldie Hawn, Christopher Walken, Burt Reynolds, George C. Scott, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Alec Baldwin, and Patrick Swayze. Katselas was credited with being able to nurture actors with raw talent so that they could develop strong Hollywood careers. He utilized innovative techniques in his courses – one course called “Terrorist Theatre” had a simple premise: successfully get an acting role within six weeks or leave the course.

He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to parents who had immigrated from Greece, and graduated from Carnegie Mellon. He studied acting with Lee Strasberg in New York at the Actors Studio, and received advice from directors Joshua Logan and Elia Kazan.

Katselas was a prominent Scientologist, and a July 2007 profile on Katselas in The New York Times Magazine observed that some of his students stopped taking courses at the Beverly Hills Playhouse because they felt they had been pressured to join the Church of Scientology. According to the article, Katselas credited Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard “for much of his success in life”, and one of his students works at Scientology’s Celebrity Centre. The article commented that some in Los Angeles view the Beverly Hills Playhouse as “a recruitment center for Scientology”.

Katselas met L. Ron Hubbard after moving to California, and began studying Scientology in 1965. The New York Times Magazine reported that he had reached the level of “Operating Thetan, Level 5, or O.T. V.” in 2007. According to The New York Times Magazine when Scientologists proceed up the “The Bridge to Total Freedom” they learn the story of Xenu, and that: “75 million years ago the evil alien Xenu solved galactic overpopulation by dumping 13.5 trillion beings in volcanoes on Earth, where they were vaporized, scattering their souls.” A Church of Scientology publication, Source, lists Katselas as reaching O.T. V. in 1989.

Though some actors felt pressured to join the Church of Scientology after taking courses at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, at least one individual felt Katselas was not active enough with the organization. Actress Jenna Elfman left the Beverly Hills Playhouse because she felt Katselas was not committed enough to Scientology. Katselas had previously directed Elfman in half of Visions and Lovers: Variations on a Theme, two one-act plays about relationships that he had written himself. In 1999 Katselas had planned to adapt the script of Visions and Lovers to a film version, and Elfman was set to reprise her role from the play. In an article in Variety about the project, Elfman commented on her experience working with Katselas: “He is brilliant, and knows me so well as a person and an actress that he gets the most out of me.”

Other prominent Scientologist actors who have studied under Katselas include Giovanni Ribisi, Jason Lee, and Leah Remini. According to Rolling Stone, Katselas also recruited actress Kelly Preston to Scientology. Actress Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson), told Scientology publication Celebrity that Katselas motivated her to get more active in Scientology, and she stated she took the organization’s “Purification Rundown” and her life “took off completely”.

Anne Archer was introduced to Scientology while studying at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, as was former Scientologist and now outspoken critic actor Jason Beghe. Beghe told Roger Friedman of FOX News in April 2008 that “He [Katselas] gets kickbacks”, and that he was brought to a Scientology center by fellow Beverly Hills Playhouse classmate Bodhi Elfman, Jenna Elfman’s husband. In a 1998 article for Buzz Magazine, Randye Hoder wrote “In his class, Katselas is careful not to label anything as a tenet of Scientology, but there is no question that the church’s influence seeps into the playhouse.”

Anne Archer’s husband and fellow Scientologist, producer Terry Jastrow, commented to The New York Times Magazine that Katselas changed the way he experiences life on a day-to-day basis: “I go out in the world and look at human behavior now. I see a woman or man interacting with a saleslady, and I see the artistry in it. Life is an endless unspooling of art, of acting, of painting, of architecture. And where did I learn that? From Milton.”

Actor Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer spoke highly of Katselas in a 2002 interview with San Francisco Chronicle: “He’s this wonderfully intuitive teacher and his premise is basically: The only real barriers are the ones we put in front of ourselves. If you say, ‘My character wouldn’t do that’ — bollocks! Ultimately it’s you who wouldn’t say that. Who knows what your character might do.” In the acknowledgements of her 2004 autobiography Are You Hungry, Dear?: Life, Laughs, and Lasagna, actress Doris Roberts wrote: “I thank my friend and acting teacher, the incredible Milton Katselas, for his insights, wisdom, and inspiration, which have helped make me the actress that I am.”

Katselas authored two books: Dreams Into Action: Getting What You Want, first published in 1996 by Dove Books, and Acting Class: Take a Seat, which came out earlier this month. Dreams Into Action, a New York Times Bestseller, sought to modify motivational acting exercises to the field of business.

In an interview in the 2007 book Acting Teachers of America, Katselas commented on his experiences as an acting teacher over the years: “I have very special teachers here at the Beverly Hills Playhouse—some have been with me for over twenty-five years. I believe that to make a difference over the long haul, we need to train teachers. I really care about the craft of acting. It’s absolutely necessary to take the time and patience to really develop an actor.”

Church Playground Equipment: Because All Pray And No Play Makes Church A Dull Place

Submitted by: Nicolas Breedlove10coi

With children clustering the church regularly, a well equipped playground offers a visible vicinity to gather around before and after services and socialize with peers who share similar values. Also this will keep them away from parking areas or roadways that increase their chances of getting injured. To minimize these incidences and to ensure kids have fun socializing, opt for installing playground equipment.

To kids, a playground is the most craved for and exciting area; with equipment like swings, slides, monkey bars etc.. It is one place they can never get enough of. It’s where they learn to enhance their social skills. However, in order to attract the kids towards the playground, it is essential that it is kitted with exciting and colorful equipment which the little ones can’t wait to get on.

With kids and parents frequenting the church building, having a well equipped church playground has numerous advantages:

* For the parent members of the church, it will provide a feeling of stability as they invest in a fun and safe environment for their kids to play in.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c06AoK2QT20[/youtube]

* Church playgrounds will ensure that the kids will indulge in constructive and safe activities, before and after the service rather than wandering off to the roads.

* An attractive and well equipped play space attracts families that are in search of a new church community. Thus providing an additional opportunity to reach out to more families through church-led events which in turn will help build a more cohesive community.

As you set out to place your equipment, make use of the natural elements, the property offers like the trees or boulders that make the play area even more appealing. Consider opting for brightly colored church playground equipment that can be themed. This can create a staring off point for the kids imagination. For example a jungle-themed monkey statue that can be seen from a distance lures the child towards itself and can also work as an icon to represent the structure as a whole. Or perhaps you could also incorporate interesting lines and colors that blend with the architecture of the church building, thus giving a whimsical feeling to the playground.

You can adorn your church playground with the following equipment:

* Play systems: They are devised to be an ideal fit for any location and are fairly inexpensive. They come in both the recycled plastic and plastic material. In addition to that, their vibrant colors and numerous play activities offered, makes them a popular choice amongst kids.

* Swings and seats: A playground is practically incomplete without swings, little ones simply adore them! Commercial grade playground swings make a fun and safe activity as they are strong and long lasting. These swings come in a number of designs like, arch post, tires, tripod etc..

* Independent play equipment: At a playground, individual games are just as important as playing group games. Equipment like, funnel ball, tether ball, climbers, slides, merry go rounds etc. are few of kids’ all time popular individual activities.

* Surfacing: The rubber play mulch ensures the safety of children. So, if a child was to fall off an equipment, there would be safer platform to land on, thus reducing injuries.

So, kick start looking for a supplier of church playground equipment online that offers you all of the above and much more at reasonable rates. Also ensure the equipment they offer you, are manufactured using the highest quality ADA compliant material, thus guaranteeing the longevity of your playground equipment.

About the Author: This article is written by a play system expert associated with

PlaygroundEquipment.com

, a leading supplier that offers discount playground equipment.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

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