A sparkling wood or hardwood floors gives style and elegance to your home’s interior design and may be a big selling point for a house in the marketplace. Refinishing an old and worn floor is a method to bring back the floor’s original gloss and also stand out.
Wood flooring can be stunning and striking when they’re in excellent shape. But with time, even one of the most sturdy hardwood flooring can turn out to be lifeless and dingy. Many years of put on and rip can leave unattractive nicks and marks too. Refinishing wooden flooring is often the only option.
Hardwood floors add more fabulous looking elegance or folksy charisma to a house, depending on the form of wood, design and situation. Refinishing to get rid of ground-in dirt whilst sanding out dents and marks can easily bring back this extremely obvious section of your interior decor.
Hardwood floor refinishing prices hinge on a number of components. The amount of harm to the wooden flooring will be the main issue that has impact on the price of wood floor refinishing. A little bit damaged flooring could be refurbished with screening and covering, that is an inexpensive method. Nevertheless, you could possibly must select complete refinishing if the flooring will show indicators of unadorned damage. In this case, price to refinish wood floorings can increase a lot more.
The common price of refinishing a wood floor can differ widely. Generally the cost of refinishing a wood floor runs anyplace from $1.25 to over $4.00 per sq. ft. when getting a expert, labor expenses alone typical $3.00 to $3.50 per square foot. The general price tag will depend on several components.
Really should employ a professional to total the function for you personally though it can be going to boost the price, nevertheless it is not suggested to sand and refinish your floors in your own unless of you have knowledge doing it.
The present condition with the floor can tremendously affect price. Typically structural repairs should be made prior to refinishing, and that may get really costly. If the floor is covered by other flooring, for example carpet or linoleum, hiring somebody to get rid of the old flooring will certainly enhance the cost as well. A lot of homeowners choose to perform this chore themselves, however it is actually a dirty and time consuming job.
Refinishing your hardwood floors on your own is going to take a lot of time and effort. What you’re going to find is that you can do it yourself, but it’s going to cost you a lot of money, as well as time. The problem here is that if you screw up with the sanding process, or even the staining process, you can make the floors look a lot worse than what they were in the first place. This is why it may be best to hire a company that is going to be able to help you in the long haul. While they may be a few dollars more, it’s going to be well worth it.
About the Author: Want to know the hardwood floor refinishing cost in your area? See what other people are paying at HowMuchIsIt.
Kristen Monster is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Willowdale riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her regarding her values, her experience, and her campaign.
Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.
In a new setback to the Thai government’s efforts to ease mounting political tensions, protest leaders escaped from their hotel Friday after security forces arrived to arrest them.
Red-Shirt protesters ride through Bangkok, Thailand last month. Image: Takeaway.
One, Arisman Pongruangrong, climbed down three floors using a rope, and was rushed away by supporters thronging the building. The police say Arisman led recent rallies at the national parliament, the election commission, and satellite transmission bases.
Officials earlier Friday said the government is preparing to arrest people linked to violent clashes with security forces last Saturday.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Thai security chief, announced the raid on the hotel as it was unfolding, saying that a Special Forces unit had closed in around a downtown Bangkok hotel.
“As I am speaking, the government’s special team is surrounding the SC Park Hotel, where we have learned that there are terrorists and some of their leaders hiding,” Suthep said.
A spokesman for the governing Democrat Party, Baranuj Smuthararaks, says arrest warrants have been issued for those suspected of being involved in the violence. Some of the suspects have been identified from photos taken during the clashes.
“Right now the government’s focusing on issuing warrants for acts of terrorism by the people who fortunately have been captured in action [in photos] by both the local and international media,” he said.
According to the New York Times, as many as five protest leaders had been staying at the same hotel as Pongruangrong. Those leaders later appeared together at a protest rally in Bangkok.
“I would like to thank all of the people who saved me,” Arisman said. “You have saved democracy.”The government says armed men infiltrated protester ranks Saturday and fired on troops trying to disperse a rally. Five soldiers and 19 protesters died during the clashes.
Thailand is facing its most severe political crisis in almost 20 years. The anti-government movement, led by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship or UDD, demands that the government step down and call fresh elections.
UDD supporters, known as red shirts, have held protests in Bangkok for more than a month.
The UDD largely supports former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and remains overseas to avoid a jail sentence for corruption. Mr. Thaksin has strong support among the rural and urban poor, as well among some sections of the army and police.
Some parties in the governing coalition want to set a clear time frame for elections to ease tensions. But the government says it will only call elections once the political situation has cooled.
When a fan connects with a band, it’s often during moments like a drive down a highway at night reflecting on some aspect of his or her life; sitting at home after a fight with a girlfriend; singing in the shower; or celebrating at a party with her friends. Music becomes a soundtrack to an individual’s life, and a connection with the musician forms when the listener is able to peg a perfect moment or feeling to a song. Boston-based mega-member rock group Bang Camaro‘s fan base claims a different level of interaction: they often have learned to play their music before they ever had a moment associated with it. Bang Camaro found fame on the video game Guitar Hero II, where an aspiring rock god uses a guitar-shaped peripheral to play rock music as notes scroll towards him on the screen.
Wikinews reporter David Shankbone journeyed to the Bowery Ballroom to talk to the two founding members of Bang Camaro, Alex Necochea and Bryn Bennett. But when MTV.com shows up at the same time as Wikinews to do an interview, the band must split up. Below is our conversation with Necochea about touring, influence, politics, throwing his corpse out of a plane and flatulent women.
Alex Necochea and Bryn Bennettphoto: David Shankbone
David Shankbone: How’s the tour going?
Alex Necochea: The tours is going great! We just played in Poughkeepsie last night with the OCC house band.
DS: Poughkeepsie, huh?
AN: Yeah! [Laughs] Poughkeepsie, it’s kind of a dark town. Not much of a built-in crowd there.
DS: What kind of crowd is there?
AN: From what I could tell, we played for a lot of Guitar Hero fans and people who heard about us through friends of friends, or came across us on MySpace. That sort of thing. But for the most part a lot of the kids we meet are anywhere between…well, I guess at a club like that they have to be over 18, but usually they are just much younger kids who are video game fans, who have heard about us through Guitar Hero II.
DS: What’s that like to have a fan base that comes from primarily video games? Have you noticed a difference between being known as a local band playing in your city and being known through video games? How would you compare the audience?
AN: It’s different. In our hometown it started off as just a big word of mouth thing. We had twenty guys in the band, so everybody had friends-of-friends. We started a groundswell that way. But when we get out of town, not in New York so much, but when we go to Chicago and Milwaukee and places like that they generally tend to be much younger people. It’s a really big thrill for Bryn and I in that we are meeting kids who are just like us: young video game fans, aspiring musicians, usually males who picked up guitars. They come to us and say, ‘Nobody plays guitar anymore like you guys do!’ or ‘My parents used to listen to music like that!’ It’s just a big thrill for us to meet young kids like that who remind us of ourselves when we were kids.
DS: How does it feel to be looked-up to by the kids, by America’s future?
AN: [Laughs] It’s terrifying! [Laughs]
DS: Do you see parents at the show?
AN: Oh, yeah, oh yeah. Parents with their kids—
DS: That must reduce the crotch grabbing.
AN: [Laughs] Yeah, a little bit of macho posturing. I tell you man, it’s a really big thrill, just to go out and play in towns we’ve never been to. Kids come out and they know all the songs. We’ve had situations where we’ve played New York and girls are in the front row singing along to our guitar solos. Like, wow…we’re on stage playing and we can hear them singing back at us. Something else Bryn and I have noticed is at larger festival shows when we get to the end of our shows we play Push Push Lady Lightning, the kids would just light up and start air guitaring! But not actually playing air guitar, but playing air guitar hero–like, they knew where all the notes were!
DS: Which is a lot different for audiences of many bands.
AN: Absolutely! I can’t imagine other bands having the same experience, because we come from such a unique perspective that a large part of our music is driven by the instrumentals, and that sort of thing.
DS: Your fans are so engaged with your music, far more than most bands have. Most bands they have fans who feel their music speaks to them, but your fans can say, ‘I learned to play guitar on your shit and not on Eleanor Rigby!’
AN: It’s an honor. It’s still unbelievable to me. I had a message from a friend of mine who was at Guitar Center and he heard one of the kids cranking out one of our songs when he was trying out the guitar. To me, it’s like we made it.
DS: At this point of your career, you’re not playing stadiums, but you’re also not playing Otto’s Tiki Lounge on a Tuesday night. When you reflect upon it, what do you think about?
AN: In the past two years, since Bryn and I started this project, we’ve both been playing in bands locally in Boston for years. We had some mixed success, we played large venues in and around Boston. We got to the point where we said fuck it, we just want to have some fun and we’d laugh a lot going over old Ozzy Osbourne stuff we listened to as kids, just giggle about it. Bang Camaro started that way, something for us to do and invite our friends to come sing on it. Now, just two years later, it’s amazing what happens when you stop trying. It’s something not contrived or born of any desire to reach an audience. We just did it for fun, and that spoke to people more than anything else we worked on.
DS: Do you have other areas of your life where you’ve been able to apply that?
AN: [Laughs] You mean as an ethos? Don’t try? [Laughs] You know, not really. I have found the greatest success in the things I have put most of my effort into. This band has been a complete unique experience in that respect, at least in terms of trying to forge a ‘career in music.’ Bryn and I had gotten to the point where we thought maybe this wasn’t the way to go. Bryn was going to go back to his career as a video game programmer and I was just going to find something else to do. So not really, I don’t really apply that in any other portion of my life.
DS: What are some dream projects you’d like to work on?
AN: As a musician, obviously for me it would be to meet and work with some heroes of mine since I was a kid. Like Mutt Lang; he always made my favorite records. At the same time, it has also been a dream of mine to meet people like Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. Those guys made honest sort of rock n’ roll, for lack of a better comparison, the way people like John Lennon or Bob Dylan would. To me those are the artists of my generation. It would be my dream one just to meet those guys and two just to work with them on some level. I’d also be lying to say that it would just be my dream to take this project with twenty of my best friends and take it as far as we can take it. So far in my life it’s been the most rewarding thing.
DS: In the creative process it’s so difficult to be original today. Everything has been done. Do you ever let that trip you up, the Simpsons Did It problem?
AN: No, not really. I found I would end up falling into that cycle playing in indie rock bands, just trying to come up with the next thing, like Radiohead they stopped using guitars and things like that. Trying to kick the ball forward a little bit instead of kicking it side to side. With this band we don’t get hung up on that. We originally just started it as a celebration of the things we loved when we were kids. We’re not out here trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re fortunate in that when we were putting the project together we wanted that big vocal sound. What set us apart was how we went about doing that. We just invited all of our friends because we didn’t want to multi track everything ourselves. Soon after we had to figure out how to pull it off live, and people would approach and say ‘we heard you have this crazy project with all these people.’ The project grew into the live monster it is out of necessity. We’re not rich people, we don’t have refrigerators and the big tour bus. Speaking of dreams, maybe one day we’ll have a tour bus. For now, we travel in two very smelly vans.
DS: If you could choose your own death, how would you die?
AN: [Laughs] I would want to steal what I heard a mutual friend of ours said. He said when he died–it’s not how he died, but this is what I heard–he said when he’s dead, he wants his corpse to be dressed up like Superman and thrown out of an airplane. I thought that would be fitting. But I’m not ready to think about death, not just yet.
DS: You guys have been described as Metal and Glam rock. What would you describe your sound as?
AN: I would call us anthem rock. We’re really not heavy metal. I think our focus is more on writing great singles, as best as we can make them. Pop music. That’s just something Bryn and I grew up on. We’re big fans of melody and big driving hooks, that sort of thing.
DS: Would you say anthem rock more in the Mötley Crüe vane or more in the T. Rex vane?
AN: I would say half and half. Our influences don’t just stop with hair metal and things like that. We draw on things like Thin Lizzy, Boston, bands like that. Not necessarily virtuosic sort of musicianship, but things that are put together. We like to spend the time when we are writing our songs that we are taking all the extraneous crap out of it. We just want to make good, hook-drive pop music.
DS: Does the war in Iraq affect you artistically at all?
AN: [Laughs] No, not at all. No, you could say I’m just like everybody else. I read the paper and blogs, and I’m just as horrified as everybody else. I’m definitely not a fan of this war.
DS: If you had to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan, where would you fight?
AN: Oh, the fight was definitely in Afghanistan. Iraq was a much different animal.
DS: Are you more inspired by things in nature or things that are man made?
AN: I would probably have to go with nature. I’m a student of science. I have a degree in environmental geology. When I was 19/20 years old I went through all the regular existential questions people that age go through: why am I here and my place in the universe, that sort of thing.
“You can typically read anywhere that humanity is a virus, a plague, on Mother Earth. I really think the greatest threat to humanity is not a meteor or comet hurtling toward the planet, it’s us.”photo: David Shankbone
DS: Did you answer any of them?
AN: Oh, God! I play rock guitar in a twenty man band!
DS: That’s important for a lot of people – you see your audience. You’re giving a lot of inspiration to a lot of people. You don’t know who you might be inspiring to pursue music.
AN: [Laughs] Oh, kids, don’t be like me! I would definitely go with nature over man made.
DS: What’s your favorite curse word?
AN: Fuck.
DS: What’s your favorite euphemism for breasts?
AN: Big guns.
DS: Have you used that recently?
AN: Actually, I think I did use that in the last week, and no comment.
DS: I read that you named the band after fast women and fast cars.
AN: [Laughs] Who told you that? No, Bang Camaro were two words out of the English language that were the two sexiest words we could think of. We put them together and they roll off the tongue. Bang Camaro. It says a lot more than it means.
DS: What sort of qualities do you look for in a woman?
AN: I need a girl who is going to make me laugh. I need a woman who is smarter than I am. A woman who will always keep me guessing. Absolutely. Calling me out for my own jerky bullshit. I like a girl who is fiercely independent, knows what she wants, and doesn’t need me.
AN: Oh, man, I’m going to get in a lot of trouble for saying Obama. I would probably go with Obama. There’s just something in his rhetoric and his oratory that is a lot more inspiring than Hillary. Hillary, to me, represents not much of a changing of the guard.
DS: What would be the greatest of misfortunes to befall you?
AN: [Chuckles] Oh, if I were to die alone. No, probably one of my greatest fears is injuring or maiming any of my appendages, to be honest.
DS: Do you have any special things you do to make sure you don’t injure or lose an appendage?
AN: [Chuckles] I don’t keep my hands in my pockets when I am running down stairs.
DS: That’s a conscious choice?
AN: Yes, that’s a conscious choice.
DS: What if you are just walking down stairs?
AN: [Chuckles] You can’t realign the stars, man. Shit will happen, shit will happen.
DS: What possession do you treasure most?
AN: That’s a good question. Probably my cat. I love my cat more than anything.
AN: Yeah, like Sexy Sadie. That’s exactly what I named her after. Big John Lennon fan, so I couldn’t resist.
DS: What trait do you deplore most in other people?
AN: I’m a lover, not a fighter. Jealousy, greed. But I try to look for the best in everybody. Who knows.
DS: What do you think are the greatest threats to humanity?
AN: Humanity itself. You can typically read anywhere that humanity is a virus, a plague, on Mother Earth. I really think the greatest threat to humanity is not a meteor or comet hurtling toward the planet, it’s us. We’ll be our own undoing. Bad politics, the spread of…oh, man, I could get in trouble…
DS: Who would you get in trouble with?
AN: No, I don’t know who I could get in trouble with. But I definitely think that capitalism is something that having gone unchecked for so long isn’t doing right in delivering civil freedom. It’s not delivering on its promises. Then again, I play in a rock band and people come pay to see me. I understand it works on both levels.
DS: What would be a bigger turn-off in bed: a woman who spoke in a baby voice, or someone who was overly flatulent?
AN: Oh God! I’d go with the baby talk, man.
DS: You’d prefer the baby talk?
AN: No, I would go with the flatulent woman. At least she’s real.
DS: Have you ever been faced with either scenario?
AN: No, I don’t think women should be flatulent.
DS: At all? Not even if she lets out a little giggle afterwards?
AN: Yeah, well, so be it.
DS: What if she was really flatulent?
AN: Like, extremely flatulent? I’d go more for the flatulence. Baby talk…that’s a real boner killer. Sorry, man.
DS: And you’ve never had a baby talker?
AN: No, not since high school.
DS: In high school?
AN: Oh, yeah. She had to go.
DS: What if she was Dutch oven flatulent?
AN: Is it really one or the other? Can I just go gay?
DS: You can always go gay. It’s the new millennium.
AN: Yeah, well, I’d probably end up with a baby-talking overly flatulent man, I’m sure.
Dorsa Derakhshani in Baku, 2017 (Image: Gibraltar Chess Festival)
In February 2017, the Iranian Chess Federation announced two teenage chess players, Dorsa Derakhshani and her younger brother Borna Derakhshani, were banned from representing the national team. The federation announced their decision although Dorsa Derakhshani had previously decided and informed the chess federation she did not wish to play for Iran.
Dorsa Derakhshani is currently 21 years old and holds the International Master (IM) as well as Woman Grand Master (WGM) titles. Her brother, Borna, plays for the English Federation and holds the FIDE Master title.
Dorsa Derakhshani was banned since she did not wear a hijab, an Islamic headscarf, while competing at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in January 2017. Under the laws of Islamic Republic of Iran, hijab is a mandatory dress code. Her brother Borna Deraskhsani was banned for playing against Israeli Grand Master (GM) Alexander Huzman at the same tournament. Iran does not recognise the existence of Israel, and previously, Irani athletes have avoided playing against Israeli athletes.
Mehrdad Pahlavanzadeh, the president of the country’s chess federation, explained the decision to ban the players saying, “As a first step, these two will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran and in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.” ((fa))Farsi language: ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ????. He further stated, “Unfortunately, something that should not have happened has happened and our national interest is paramount and we have reported this position to the Ministry of Sports.” ((fa))Farsi language: ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ??? ? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????.
IM Dorsa Derakhshani, who currently studies at Saint Louis University in the United States and plays for the United States Chess Federation, discussed her chess career, time in Iran and the 2017 controversy, and her life in Saint Louis with a Wikinews correspondent.
Contents
1 Interview with IM Dorsa Derakhshani
1.1 Her childhood
1.2 Her decision to not play for the Irani Chess Federation
1.3 Her career in chess
1.4 Her games
1.5 Chess in general and other players
1.6 The 2017 Gibraltar Chess tournament and getting banned from the Iranian National Chess team
1.7 The Iranian government’s hesitation of Iranian players playing against Israeli athletes
1.8 More about her life in the US
1.9 The chess federations she was associated with
1.10 Bridging the gender gap, especially in chess and the society
So more staff can be hired for Bolivia’s education, health and social programs, President Elect Evo Morales announced that he and his cabinet will take a 50% pay cut. The 46-year-old leader slashed his future salary of about $3600 a month to $1800.
Raising Bolivia from its situation as one of the poorest countries in the world is a primary intention of the president elect. “It’s a question of sharing the country’s situation among us all.” said Morales. “This is a democratic revolution and we will answer the Bolivian people’s call.”
Evo at 17 in the blue sweater with family and friends.
Cabinet ministers and all 157 members of Morales’ party that were elected to Congress will also take a 50% pay cut, Morales said. The salaries of 157 substitute congressmen will be eliminated.
Morales, who is known across the country as “Evo”, is Bolivia’s first native Indian president. Growing up in poverty has marked his politics. He often says, “For a handful of people there is money, for the others, repression.”
Bolivia
Evo will soon move from his rented single room of a shared house to Bolivia’s presidential palace.
Morales also met with business and civic leaders on Tuesday in a conciliatory meeting. Morales said his government would create a stable legal and economic environment to attract investment and create jobs which was applauded by the Bolivian elite.
“I do not have a professional education, but it is important that we co-operate. You have the professional capacity, I have the social consciousness”.
Map of Los Angeles County reddened on a map of California.
A storm in the Los Angeles County, California area has caused reasons for residents in 2009 Station Fire burn areas to evacuate. Californians in these area braced themselves from mudslides and flash floods due to the expected 25 cm (10 in) of rain yesterday. The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted 3.8 cm (1.5 in) per hour in these fire-affected areas.
Charles Beck, Los Angeles Police Department chief, advised residents, “If a Los Angeles police officer comes to your door and tells you to leave: leave. We’re not asking you to leave because we think your lawn’s going to get dirty, we’re not doing it because your carpet’s going to get wet. We’re doing it because your life is at risk.”
Two days prior, the Los Angeles Coast, the NWS issued tornado warnings, a rarity, for the Whittier, South Los Angeles, and and Long Beach areas. There were reports of a tornado touching down at Sunset Beach in Orange County. The tornado reportedly lifted boats from the water. There were other reports of waterspouts in the Pacific Ocean.
Cal State Long Beach closed for the remainder of Wednesday afternoon and will reopen on Friday, January 22. Schools in the La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge areas were also closed yesterday.
In other areas of Los Angeles, the rain caused minor flooding and large puddles – storm drains overflowed. This storm hit strong from about 15:00 PST (2300 UTC) to about 16:30 PST (0030 UTC) Wednesday. It started again rather powerfully at about 17:10 PST (0110 UTC).
A Southern California resident preferring to remain unnamed said this in regards to the storm, “I felt that it was a wonderful change from the super hot weather,” in reference to the 26 °C (80 °F) plus temperatures leading into winter.
Wen Jiabao at the opening of a World Economic Forum meeting last month.
In a rare one-on-one interview with the editor in chief of the journal Science Magazine published online on Friday, Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, acknowledged that although companies were to blame, the government was also partially responsible in the recent melamine contamination of milk and infant formula from China.
“We feel that although problems occurred at the company, the government also has a responsibility,” said the Premier. He added that testing requirements should be installed for all important steps in the production process, and that all food should meet international standards. Responsibility for food safety implementations will lie with the Chinese Ministry of Health.
We feel great sorrow about the milk incident. … I once again solemnly emphasize that it is absolutely impermissible to sacrifice people’s lives and health in exchange for temporary economic development.
The two-hour conversation between chief editor Bruce Alberts and Premier Wen already took place on September 30th. A Chinese version of the interview was published in the communist party newspaper People’s Daily.
Earlier this week, batches of an injectable herbal medication based on ginseng were recalled after three people died. Wandashan Pharmaceutical all of its injectable herbal remedies. On Saturday, Taiwan suspended imports of a leavening agent used in baking because it tested positive for melamine.
In the milk incident, melamine was added to make the milk appear richer in protein. It caused an estimated 53,000 to become ill, mostly young children. The chemical can cause kidney stones and kidney failure.
However, the issues of China’s food industry are only mentioned tangentially. The Premier spoke about social, economic and scientific issues facing his country. Wen explained his “scientific outlook on development”, which tries to found social and economic progress for the people, in a sustainable fashion and with decreased disparities, on a scientific basis. An example is the use of transgenic crops in rural areas, which decreases the need for pesticides.
On the matter of fossil fuels, the Premier explained how “every year, China produces about 180 million tons of crude oil and imports about 170 million tons. China’s dependency on foreign oil is almost 50%. China’s coal production exceeds 2.5 billion tons a year. This kind of huge consumption of energy, especially non-renewable fossil fuel, will not be sustainable.” He reiterated China’s belief in the “common but differentiated responsibility” principle, in agreement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol.
At the end of the interview, the Premier agreed that the scientific communities could build bridges between countries, even if their governments disagreed. “More scientific language and less diplomatic rhetoric could make thisworld even better,” he concluded.
The 66-year-old engineer specialised in geomechanics began his second 5-year term as head of the cabinet last March. During his office, China witnessed highlights like the Olympics in Beijing and the recent Shenzhou 7 space launch, but also international criticism, for example on the situation in Tibet.
Ikeda Kanako, a 21-year-old senior student of the Meiji Gakuin University and the first daughter of celebrity surgeon Yuko Ikeda, was kidnapped at about 1225 (UTC+9), June 26, 2006, in Shibuya, Tokyo.
A bullet was fired and one officer slightly cut when police stormed a Kawasaki apartment to rescue the girl.
Kanako was dressed in a white light half-sleeved cardigan, blue jeans with a bistre belt made of leather, a spring green camisole and carried a bag of Vuitton when she was abducted at a bus stop.
She was found unharmed 13 hours later by Japanese police at a condominium located in Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa. The young woman’s make-up was not disordered; Kanako’s long brown fringe was not disheveled at all and she was wearing what she had been when she was kidnapped.
The kidnapping of Kanako was a big story in Japanese media in June, 2006. The story appeared in many newspapers as the front-page news on June 27, 2006.
Kanako and her kidnappers had been in touch with her mother using Kanako’s mobile phone. The effort to free her was helped greatly by a woman who witnessed the moment Kanako was taken; she wrote down the license plate of the van and other details.
Police traced mobile phone calls and were able to locate the van in Kawasaki where they detained two of the kidnappers as they went shopping.
One conspirator Li Yong, 29, from China, led the policemen to the apartment and tricked Kaneo Ito, 49, from Japan, to open the door. Ito managed to discharge one bullet before being restrained by an assistant police inspector, the first man in the room.
The other man involved in the kidnap of Kanako was Choi Gi Ho, 54, from South Korea. Kanato was freed unharmed.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested three men on suspicion of conspiring to kidnap a woman and hold her to a reported 300 million yen ransom.
Michael Chong, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of Sport, and MP for the riding of Wellington—Halton Hills, has resigned over Stephen Harper’s Quebec motion. The motion asks MPs if Quebec is a nation “within a united Canada”.
Chong opposed the vote saying that it was akin to ethnic nationalism, which he opposes.
“It is nothing else but the recognition of ethnic nationalism, and that is something I cannot support. It cannot be interpreted as the recognition of a territorial nationalism, or it does not refer to the geographic entity, but to a group of people,” Chong said.
“I am resigning as minister so I can abstain from the vote tonight,” Chong said at a news conference in Ottawa, the nations capital. “While I am loyal to my party and to my leader, my first loyalty is to my country. I believe in one nation undivided called Canada.”
Chong remains a Conservative member of Parliament. Later in the day, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed York—Simcoe, Ontario MP Peter Van Loan to the position vacated by Chong.
Harper asked Liberal race contender Stéphane Dion for guidance with the Quebec motion instead of asking the now former Intergovernmental Affairs Minister, Michael Chong.
Michael Ignatieff, the front-runner in the Liberal leadership race, has proposed a similar motion. Liberal leadership candidate, Gerard Kennedy, said he opposes the motion and finds it divisive to national unity and could advance the separatist agenda.
