From today's featured article
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The Whistleblower is a 2010 thriller film directed by Larysa Kondracki and starring Rachel Weisz (pictured). It was inspired by the story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer who worked as a United Nations peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina for DynCorp International in 1999 and discovered a sex trafficking ring serving (and being facilitated by) DynCorp employees, with the UN turning a blind eye. The Whistleblower—a co-production between Canada, Germany, and the United States—was filmed in Romania in 2009. It premiered on September 13, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Samuel Goldwyn Films distributed the film in theaters in the United States. The film was advertised as a fictionalization of events occurring during the late 1990s. Kondracki said that the facts are broadly accurate but some details were omitted for the film. Despite garnering mixed reviews, The Whistleblower received several awards and nominations, including three nominations at the 2012 Genie Awards. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hosted a screening of the film and promised action would be taken to prevent further instances of human trafficking. The Guardian reported that other UN officials attempted to downplay the events depicted and that initiatives against trafficking in Bosnia were aborted. (Full article...)
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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:
- ... that the roller coasters Rage (pictured), Crazy Bird, El Loco, Eurofighter, Falcon, Huracan, Timber Drop, Twist Coaster Robin, Typhoon, and Vild-Svinet all have (or were expected to have) steeper-than-vertical drops?
- ... that the Governor of Western Australia sent the lyrics of William Strahan's The Bugle Call to George V?
- ... that the United States Mint sold the 32 Old Slip site in Manhattan for US$27 million, making it the most valuable US Government property sold at public auction?
- ... that the 1959 Typhoon Billie was the first typhoon officially monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center?
- ... that the former oil industry executive Mark Carne is now chief executive of Network Rail?
- ... that the land for St Luke's Church, Formby, was donated by a doctor, and the church is dedicated to the patron saint of doctors?
- ... that the 1340 Great Fire of Spondon may have started at the site now occupied by the Malt Shovel pub?
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