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Earthquake shakes Athens A 6.7 magnitude quake rocked Greece this afternoon, centereded about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Athens near the island of Kythira. Representative Tom DeLay not seeking future Majority Leader position Texas Representative Tom DeLay announced he was stepping down as Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and would not try for the position again.

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Interview with Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret An exclusive Wikinews interview with the founder of PostSecret. PostSecret is a web site where people release their secrets by sending them in on homemade postcards.

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Tony Banks, Lord Stratford, ex-Labour UK MP for West Ham has died after suffering a massive stroke on holiday in the US at the age of 62. An estimated two million Muslims officially begin the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Singapore holds its largest civil counter-terrorism exercise, codenamed Exercise Northstar V, simulating bombing and chemical attacks at four Mass Rapid Transit stations and a bus interchange. Thirteen MRT stations and part of Toa Payoh Bus Interchange are closed for three hours, causing travel disruptions for over 15,000 commuters and triggering a response from some 2,000 personnel from 22 governmental organizations. A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on the moment magnitude scale hits Greece at 13:34. The earthquake's epicentre was in the sea region 25 km east of the island of Kythira, about 200 km south of Athens. Although it was felt as far as Sicily, south Italy, Egypt, and Amman in Jordan, it was not disastrous due to its deep hypocentre and the sea-bed epicentre. Little damage (mainly in Kythira) and few light injuries are reported.

Representative Tom DeLay not seeking future Majority Leader position

Republican Tom Delay, representative from the 22nd Congressional District of Texas, announced on Saturday that he will not attempt to reclaim his majority leader position in the United States House of Representatives. Fellow republicans, spear-headed by Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Melissa Hart (R-PA), began circulating a petition last week urging to elect a new majority speaker, thus setting the stage for House leadership elections.

In a letter written and addressed to fellow House Republicans on Saturday, Delay said, "During my time in Congress, I have always acted in an ethical manner within the rules of our body and the laws of our land."

He asked Dennis Hastert to convene a body to elect a new majority leader. "I cannot allow our adversaries to divide and distract our attention," wrote Delay.

The 58-year-old Delay held the leadership post for 3 years, until he was forced to relinquish it in late 2005 after he became involved in an ethics scandal. He stepped down after a Texas jury indicted him for money laundering and conspiracy, but initially planned to re-seek the majority speaker post if he was acquitted.

Earthquake shakes Athens

On Sunday, an earthquake rocked the country of Greece early in the afternoon.

The quake's epicenter was located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Athens near the island of Kythira, the USGS institute said, amending its previous report of a magnitude of 6.4. There are only reports of minor damage at Kythira airport, including 3 injuries. Seismographs have recorded the earthquake as a 6.5 (estimated) on the Richter Scale.

The earthquake took place at 1:34 pm local time (1134 UTC), and was felt as far away as Cairo, Egypt.

The US Geological Survey, based in Colorado, and the National Earthquake Information Center in Denver gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, while the University of Thessaloniki, which also has a geodynamic institute, reported the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9.

Aftershocks have been recorded near the epicentre, however were not as powerful as the original earthquake.

More than 100 people died following an earthquake in Greece in 1999.

"Hyperspace drive" paper gains interest, AIAA award

The paper "Guidelines for a space propulsion device based on Heim's quantum theory" by Walter Dröscher (Austrian patent officer; retired) and Jochem Häuser (University of Applied Sciences in Salzgitter, Germany; Physicist & Professor of Computer Science) has won an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) annual award for the best papers presented at its conferences (nuclear and future flight category).

The paper proposes experiments aimed at using intense magnetic fields to produce a gravitational field, which then propels a space craft. The work is based upon ideas developed by Burkhard Heim in the 1950s. Heim's theories are not widely accepted in the physics community. They do, however, pass many experimental tests, such as accurately predicting masses of fundamental particles within current experimental limits.

Dröscher says Heim's theories predict two additional forces, one is a repulsive anti-gravity consistent with the dark energy that appears to be causing the universe's expansion to accelerate, and one capable of producing acceleration of a spacecraft without expending mass, i.e. rocket fuel. NASA has investigated possible anti-gravity applications of Heim's theories before, but Dröscher & Häuser say their proposed experiments differ significantly.

The U.S. Air Force has expressed interest in the idea. Experiments are expected to proceed if the idea survives further scrutiny in the physics community.

Truckies could foot the bill for NSW Pacific Highway upgrade

A section of the Pacific Highway South of Buladelah

Just two weeks after a join statement by Australian federal roads minister Jim Lloyd and his New South Wales counterpart Joe Tripoldi that tolls may be used to fast track upgrades of the Pacific Highway, acting Prime Minister Mark Vaile suggested that truck operators could pay up to a $70 toll.

Mr Vaile claims that industry sources claim that it is $400 less for a B-double semi trailer to drive from Sydney to Brisbane via the Pacific Highway than the New England Highway (which is the national highway) because of the upgrades carried out over the past 10 years.

Mr Valie claims the transport industry would accept a $70 toll. "Anything we do is going to enhance their efficiency". "Therefore the transport industry would be prepared to pay a toll - not just a $5 or $7 or $10 toll. For Sydney to Brisbane, who knows, (they could pay) a $50 to $70 toll, because these efficiencies are so significant now in running that sector."

The federal and state governments have committed to converting the highway to dual carriageway between Sydney and Port Macquarie and Brisbane and Byron Bay within three years. The remainder of the highway (with the exception of the section replaced by the Sydney - Newcastle Freeway was scheduled to be completed by 2016.

Mr Vaile said that the New South Wales government should look at using public-private partnerships to fund upgrades between Port Macquarie and Byron Bay. He further hinted that regular motorists would still pay tolls, although they would be variable depending on the length of highway used.

Kathy and Greg Campbell who lost Greg's mother and their daughters Becky, 9, and Jessy, 8, when a truck slammed into their car head on south of Buladelah said the number of trucks which use the single carriageway section is an outrage. Ms Campbell said that the federal government received AU$14 billion a year in fuel excise from motorists and the estimated cost to complete the highway upgrade was AU$8 billion.

Woman killed in shark attack at Amity Point, Australia

Location of the attack

A woman in Australia has been killed in a shark attack. The attack occured at 5pm (Local Time) just off Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island, south-east of Brisbane.

The woman, described as 21, had lost both arms up to the elbow and sustained severe wounds to her torso and legs. She was carried to shore by friends and was then flown by rescue helicopter to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Surgeons were unable to save her.

The woman was holidaying from Brisbane with a church camp and attempts to contact her family have been made.

Emergency Services Rescue Helicopter crew officer Rod Morgan said the woman had suffered massive blood loss.

"She was very pale" he said, "We were diverted right away and were able to be on the scene within minutes and were able to have the patient at hospital within an hour of the attack."

"She had life threatening injuries she had lost significant amounts of blood and the patient had what we would call an altered level of consciousness where it wasn't able to communicate directly with the patient" said Queensland Ambulance paramedic Lachlan Parker.

There were many witnesses at the scene and they are now being interviewed by Police at Amity Point. They are described as being distraught.

One witness, who asks to not be identified, described that the victim was swimming in the sea with her Border Collie. When the attack happened, the dog ran home to raise the alarm.

"I was across the road from where she was staying and I saw the dog come flying up the road all wet and shivering and whimpering," she said, "Then a little boy came running up and said the girl had lost her leg and her arm and everyone ran out of the house towards the beach. It was just a little black-and-white dog but he was crazy so I locked him under the house."

Other reports claim that the woman had been scuba diving in murky shallow water approximately 15 metres from the shore.

The woman is believed to be from McDowall in Brisbane, but her name has not yet been released.

A resident of Amity Point for 20 years, Brad Ross, said tourists visiting the area have been warned of potential attacks; "The shore just falls away into 30m of water and there are plenty of bull sharks out there. People know when they enter the water there they're stepping into a shark habitat."

Other beaches on the island are protected by drum lines.

Queensland state police inspector Peter Harding believes from the severity of the woman's injuries that she was attacked by a group of bull sharks, a species known for aggressive behavior this time of year. Water police will search for the sharks today and as a result, beaches on the east and west of Amity Point have been closed.

This is the first attack in the area since August 1972.
Interview with Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret
PostSecret is a community art project where people release their secrets by anonymously mailing them on a homemade postcard. Frank Warren started PostSecret in November, 2004 and has since recieved thousands of secrets from all over the world. The cards appeared in an All-American Rejects music video for the song Dirty Little Secret, and PostSecret's fee? a $2,000 donation to The National Hopeline Network 1(800)SUICIDE, a suicide hotline. PostSecret has recently published a book of some of the postcards with some of the proceeds also going to the hotline.

Wikinews: What is PostSecret for you?

Frank Warren: PostSecret is a community art project where anyone can write a secret on a postcard and mail it in.

You originally sent out 3,000 postcards at the projects inception in November, 2004. Over a year later, approximately how many cards have you received?

20,000.

Geographically, how far away have you received postcards?

The cards come from all over the world; Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Australia, Ireland, India...

You let the All-American Rejects use the postcards in their video for a donation to the National Hopeline Network, a suicide hotline. You also have a book out now with some of the proceeds going to National Hopeline. Is depression the most common theme in the secrets that you have recieved?

I do not know if depression is the most common theme, but I picked the charity because of my own experiences with suicide and because I have first-hand knowledge of the good work done by 1(800)SUICIDE.

What, in your opinion, is the motivation for people to send you their secrets?

I think some people are looking to share a funny story, others want to talk about a secret kindness they performed but most people, I believe, are looking to better understand their own secrets and perhaps use this project as a first step in taking action upon their secrets.

Have you ever gotten into any sort of trouble or controversy because of what you have posted on your site? If so, what has happened as a result?

I once received a postcard from a girl saying, "I worked really hard to get into [Ivy League School] but now I hate it here." She later contacted me and said her friends and family recognized her handwriting and the posting was causing her distress. She asked me to remove it and I did. But I asked her to let me know how things turned-out in the long-run. Maybe this event will cause her to change schools or find new ways to appreciate where she is now.

Finally, PostSecret has touched and aided the lives of many people. How can people help the project?

I hope people just continue to bravely share their secrets on the site and visitors continue to express their understanding and compassion.

Today in History
1768 - Philip Astley staged the first modern circus in London.

1839 - The French Academy of Sciences announced the Daguerreotype photographic process, named after its inventor, Louis Daguerre.

1878 - Humbert the Good became King of Italy.

1916 - World War I: In Gallipoli, the Ottoman Empire was victorious in the Battle of Çanakkale.

1964 - Martyrs' Day in Panama. 4 days of fighting between US armed forces and panamanian civillians to end the Canal Zone.

January 09 is Coming-of-Age Day in Japan (2006)

Quote of the Day

"For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk." ~ Stephen Hawking

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2006-01-08T18:51:24