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Friday, September 25, 2009

Susan Atkins, a former member of the Manson clan and the longest-serving female prisoner of California, US, has died in prison. She was 61.

It was Atkins who exposed those responsible for the murders after she bragged of her involvement while imprisoned for an unrelated offence. Two fellow inmates reported her to the authorities. Subsequently, her testimony ensured that she, Charles Manson and several others would be convicted of a string of murders in a 10-month trial, including those of heavily pregnant actress Sharon Tate and of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

Atkins received another murder conviction for the separate killing of Gary Alan Hinman, bringing her total to eight murders. All convicted killers in the Manson clan were sentenced to death but this was replaced with life imprisonment after the death penalty was abolished in California.

In recent years, Atkins had developed cancer which spread, almost totally paralysing her. She also had one leg amputated. She was denied compassionate release last year and parole earlier this month, with the parole board citing the vicious and remorseless nature of the crimes. Prosecutor Stephen Kay described her as “the scariest of the Manson girls. She was very violent.”

Ex-chief prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi said that she “had the most unfortunate background,” of all the killers except Manson himself. Her mother died of cancer while Atkins was fifteen, her father selling the family’s house and all their possessions to pay hospital bills. He became an alcoholic and first neglected, then abandoned Atkins and her younger brother. Both were in foster care for a time and Atkins dropped out of school after her standards fell. She struggled to look after both herself and her brother and later worked as a topless dancer. Once, she was arrested and charged while hitchhiking because the car that gave her a ride was stolen.

In prison, she became a Christian and denounced Manson. Prison staff supported her 2005 parole bid, but she would be kept imprisoned. She ultimately served 38 years behind bars.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Created by the Brampton Arts Council and the City of Brampton, the Studios of Brampton studio tour will allow residents a chance to view works by dozens of local artists at twelve locations.

The tour will run October 1 & 2 from 10 pm until 4 pm ET.

On the tour are the personal studios of watercolourist Jack Reid, sculpture Marion Bartlett, woodworker Rick Bino, ceramicist Eric Wong, calligrapher and fashion illustrator Rosemarie Gidvani, abstract painter Karen Darling, oil painter John Cutruzzola, stain-glass artist Darlene Robichaud, and watercolourist Gordon Stuart.

Also on the tour is the Art Gallery of Peel, which will be exhibiting Sydney Drum, a Canadian artist based in New York, and Kelly McNeil.

Visual Arts Brampton and Beaux-Arts Brampton will both have line-ups of local artist members. VAB has confirmed displays by William Band, Bridget Doughty, Betty Jean Evans, Marguerite Finlayson, Conrad Mieschke, Keith Moreau, Mary Noble, Olga Rudge, and Elizabeth Patrick.

Sample works representing each location on the tour will be shown at the Brampton City Hall’s Atrium Gallery.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

The Blunkett diaries, being serialised in the Guardian, claim that Gordon Brown opposed the war against Iraq. Only at the last minute did he give in, according to the diaries, when he realised that Blair would sack him otherwise.

Gordon Brown, interviewed by the Guardian, said he did not think Blunkett had ever said such a thing and that, if he was reported as having done so, he was being misquoted.

The diary entries are contemporary with the events and were recorded shortly after the Cabinet meeting on Iraq.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott has pledged private school relief if the Liberal/National coalition wins the upcoming federal election. The pledge came in response to the Australian Labor Party leader, and current Prime Minister, Julia Gillard proposing a uniform and school equipment tax break expansion.

Abbott’s proposal includes an offer of tax rebates for sending a child to a private school. For students in primary school, prep to grade 6, the rebate will rise to $500 Australian a year per student and families will be then able to claim 50% rebate up to $1000.

“We are expanding the rebate so it can be claimed for school fees and also for other educational costs such as tuition and special educational costs for children with, for instance, dyslexia,” Abbott said at a press conference in Brisbane.

Before the election was called, Gillard had aimed to pledge $220 million over four years to expand the current tax breaks to cover refunds each worth $390 for primary school uniforms and $779 for high school uniforms, as well as refunds for other school equipment like texts books and computers.

“We all know that uniforms can be an expensive part of sending kids to school, but this change, along with the existing refund for textbooks and computers, will help families with that cost,” stated Gillard.

An opposition spokesperson claimed that the “obvious flaw in Labor’s policy is that it only applies to stationery, computer expenses and uniforms […] You know as a parent that you need help for a whole range of expenses. Extra teachers for children with dyslexia or the costs of doing music and all the other expenses like excursions and so forth.”

The expansion is expected to cost $760 million in total and one that Abbott claims needs to happen as “cost of living pressures tend to be greatest when your kids are at school”.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

To promote the craft design of indigenous peoples in Taiwan, the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Executive Yuan, the show organizer, made an inception on crafts of indigenous peoples with the “2008 Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Craft Exhibition” in the Ketagalan Culture Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

As of the organizer, this exhibition was set to discover more excellent artisans from indigenous peoples and promote the excellent crafts of indigenous peoples in Taiwan to bring on the sustainability of the traditional indigenous tribes.

Not only this show until June 29, but the 2008 Taiwan Designers’ Week from tomorrow (June 28), in addition to 2008 Taipei In Style from July 10, will bring on the other opportunities for cultural, creative, and the fashion-related industries.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson won his second consecutive race of the season on Sunday during the 2010 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It was his fifth victory in the 2010 season of the US’s leading professional stock car series, drawing him level with Denny Hamlin for the most wins. The victory earned Johnson 190 points (including a 5 point bonus), moving him closer to point leader Kevin Harvick, but he is still 105 points behind in second position.

With eight laps remaining, Kurt Busch, who was running second, bumped Johnson to become the leader, but Johnson returned the favor a couple laps later to the lead the final two laps. Johnson said, “Kurt knocked me out of the way. At that point, I thought, I don’t care if I win or finish. I’m going to run into him one way or the other … I tried once and moved him. (I thought) I’ve got to hit him harder. The second time I did and moved him out of the way.” Tony Stewart finished in the second position, ahead of Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon in third and fourth. Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Joey Logano and A. J. Allmendinger rounded out the top ten positions. The race had total of four cautions and sixteen lead changes among nine different drivers. Kasey Kahne led the most laps by leading 110.

In the point standings, Harvick and Johnson remained in the first and second position. Kyle Busch, because of his accident with Jeff Burton maintained the third position while his team mate Hamlin is fourth. Gordon, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Burton followed in the top-eight points positions. Stewart move up one position after finishing second and is in the ninth position, as {{|Greg Biffle}} fell to tenth. Mark Martin and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-twelve, and is currently in the Chase.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Wikinews interviewed author Marc Headley about his new book Blown for Good, and asked him about life inside the international headquarters of Scientology known as “Gold Base“, located in Gilman Hot Springs near Hemet, California. Headley joined the organization at age seven when his mother became a member, and worked at Scientology’s international management headquarters for several years before leaving in 2005.