A couple of choice selections courtesy of the CBC. First some selections from 120seconds.com: A great piece on what it is to be a DJ. It has extensive interviews with Vancouver DJs going over the history, the technique, and what it takes to become a DJ. Also from BC, a story about the problems of first past the post voting systems vs. proportional representation, as well as an overview of an action taken on the BC government by those who feel that the overwhelming majority does not reflect their views.

On the lighter side, we have two flash animations, first a piece called 'The Thing in my Hat,' one that has a certain fondness for cats. The second, also with a cat theme, explains why Sally can't seem to keep her boyfriends.

CBC Radio 3 features two artists that caught my attention this week. Eric Etheridge has a show of signs called "Sky Hi: Small Signs" that he has encountered in his travels. Shary Boyle has a piece featuring pictures and text of experiences growing up with other girls.

Finally, a piece on the 20 years of programming the radio show Brave New Waves. I put this in almost only because of the interview that they have with Allen Ginsburg, although there are many other great ones here.

Well, The Passion of The Christ still manages to make news. Today it was revealed by the Guardian that the 'blood libel' line where the Jews self-implicate themselves for the death of Christ was not removed from the movie as promised by Mel Gibson several weeks ago. Instead, he just removed the subtitle but kept the original Aramaic. The New Republic weighs in on how the use of blood encompasses the film and provides some historical context for the emphasis on Christ's suffering.

The San Francisco same-sex marriages continue to occur, with Rosie O'Donnell marrying her girlfriend Kelli Carpenter. And if you're someone who believes that this sort of thing is Biblically immoral, just remember, God hates shrimp too. Although I think the most disturbing part of this page is the real protesters in the background carrying signs that say: "Gay? Got AIDS Yet!" I thought we were over the 'gay plague' thing.

The United States military has issued a release stating their intent to change their current landmine policy to focus on landmines that self-destruct after a period of time with the intent to minimize their adverse effects on civilian populations. It will also double the aid it gives to foreign countries for the removal of existing landmines to $70 million. This is still not in compliance with the 1997 Ottawa Landmine Convention which calls for the ban on their use and the elimination of stockpiles, but it certainly is a step in the right direction.

A story about some espionage of the 1980's CIA has recently been reported. According to the author of an upcoming book, At the Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War, the CIA provided covert transfers of faulty technology to the Soviet Union, one of which caused a massive explosion in a Siberian natural gas pipeline that caused significant damage to the Soviet economy.

In addition:
- Astronomers at UC Berkeley and the University of Hawaii have found what they believe to be rings of dust capable of forming planets around a nearby star.
- NASA scientists say that from the data collected by the two Mars rovers they are within a few days of concluding whether Mars ever had fresh water.
- A physics professor at the California Institute of Technology has figured out what gives snowflakes their shape.
- Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are questioning whether most animal experiments have any benefit to treating human disease.
- Spain has kicked off its federal election, with the governing Popular Party facing some stiff competition with the opposition Socialist Party and their leader José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
.
- Israel has asked Egypt to take control of the Gaza Strip if it chooses to withdraw from the territory.
- The EU is threatening the United States with $4 billion in trade sanctions if the US government does not eliminate overseas tax shelters for American exporters that were declared illegal by the World Trade Organization.
- Former Saskatchewan premier Grant Divine has lost his legal challenge to be allowed to run for the Conservative Party in the upcoming federal election. Although supported by grassroots members, there were those in the federal party who felt that the person that destroyed the Saskatchewan Tories through corruption and scandal might not be such a great standard-bearer for the party.
- Talks between George Bush and Gerhard Schröder are apparently going well as the Chancellor visits Washington.
- CNN has this story about how promoting education is no longer a source of economic success.
- Syria has taken action to restrict Islamic teaching in the country, no longer permitting foreign students from studying Islam in the country.

Finally, a little piece of gif animation in anime style about a guy trying to get through a door. It's rather entertaining.

There's a whole lot of civil unrest going on in Haiti right now (and that's an understatement), so I thought it would be good to put a link in to a story about Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the current leader whom the rebels are attempting to overthrow.

As if having piles of conservative Christians in the United States wasn't bad enough, a Toronto Star story details how they are making footholds in Nunavut, complete with the whole 'the Second Coming is coming' dogma. I just want to refresh everyone's memory on the whole anticipating the second coming thing:

Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
- Mark 13:30-33

The Economist has come out with an editorial opposing Bush's same sex marriage ban, while also publishing a story about how this issue effects the culture wars in America. The editorial is well worth reading, especially from a fairly right-of-center publication like The Economist. In a little more of a depressing article, they also note a study that shows that less-homogeneous neighborhoods yield better social cohesion.

Finally, a story from the Christian Science Monitor about the rise of sexual-oriented magazines on college campuses. I know that it's easy to be alarmist about this trend, but my feeling is that it's better that people have the information and not get pregnant, get an STD, etc., rather than being all hush-hush about it. Sex is out there everywhere and I don't think this social trend increases it anything but marginally.

It certainly didn't take long for the whole Passion thing to start getting out of hand. Now we have some Pentecostal minister from Mississippi using the movie's hype and his billboard to spread the message that everyone was afraid of: "The Jews killed the Lord Jesus." No wonder the Ashkenazim Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yona Metzger has written a letter to the Pope asking him to denounce any anti-Semitism that may occur from the showing of the movie.

But we may not have to worry about all of this, as a story from the BBC shows that the Earth was almost put on 'impact alert' after a 30 meter wide asteroid was initially measured to have a 25% chance of impact somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Luckily subsequent measures determined that it would pass safely past Earth's orbit, although it was finally found to be 500 meters across. At least it would have taken our minds of this whole Passion thing, well, except for the 'LaHaye' Christians who would probably see it as a sign of the coming apocalypse. But then again, to them what isn't a sign of the coming apocalypse?

The State of our Unions

Murphy's Law dictates that when a big news story comes out, especially one that I have personally been writing about for the past few weeks, I will inevitably be busy and unable to write about it when it breaks. The story I'm talking about in this case is President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, which he announced on Tuesday. Seen as a move to rally the Christian conservative base of the GOP in what could be a tight upcoming election, it has not been well received with everyone, including some members of his own party. This announcement was condemned by the remaining candidates in the Democratic primary, although neither came out to actually support same-sex marriage, rather believing that it is an issue best left up for individual states to decide what is appropriate.

In other positive developments for the Christian right, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ came out yesterday to 4 500 screens across America and very mixed reviews. Surveying the responses on Rottentomatoes, where it recieved a 'rotten' rating, it seemed to be one of those movies that you either loved or hated. There were some people who decided that their dislike of the movie (or perhaps just the concept) was great enough move them to protest the opening at major theaters, including some Jewish groups alarmed at the film's ahistorical portrayal of the relationship between the Jews and the Romans that might lead to increased anti-Semitism.

Former British cabinet minister Clare Short has come out to claim that British agents spied on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in the months before the war on Iraq. A UN spokesperson stated that they were not surprised by the allegations, but reminded the British government that such actions were illegal under international law.

Detainees at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba are finally being charged with crimes and being repatriated with their home countries if they originated from Europe. This good news was tempered by an announcement from the Pentagon that they will reserve the right to hold detainees even if they are found not guilty by a military tribunal. Clearly this is a human rights issue that needs to be addressed on an international level.

Those are the major stories, but I found many others that may be of interest:
- A response to a previous story I covered about how giving to charity and other public displays of benevolence are self-serving.
- A story by the Washington Post about how frequently White House economic projections are wrong.
- A report by New York's Council on Foreign Relations advises the US military to increase their stock of non-lethal arms for post-wartime use.
- A US State Department report calls Indian democracy 'durable yet flawed.'
- German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is making his first visit to Washington in two years after a falling out between the two countries over the war in Iraq.
- Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial has been cut short due to an illness he has developed and the upcoming retirement of the presiding judge.
- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is setting up an Africa commission to explore the continent's major problems.
- Germany is exploring the idea of instituting a minimum wage. I was somewhat shocked to learn that they don't have one already.
- In Northern Ireland, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has threatened to pull out of the Good Friday accord if there was no action taken against an alleged IRA kidnapping in Belfast last week.
- 30 of the governing Liberal Party's MPs voted for a Bloc Quebecois motion demanding that Canada not participate in any type of missile defense program with the United States.
- Muayyed Nureddin, a Canadian citizen who was deported to Syria by the US and tortured there has detailed the events that he experienced while in detention.
- In a clear demonstration of the effects of uneven economic development, the gap between the rich and the poor in China has escalated to be one of the largest in the world.
- Archeologists have discovered evidence that ancient Americans were a seafaring people as long as 8 000 years ago, giving credence to the theory that they arrived to the continent by boat.
- The Economist summarizes the recent Iranian election.
- Scientists at Germany's Max Planck Institute have subdivided time into the smallest interval on record - one ten million billionth of a second.
- The US has critisized recent Israeli actions against Palestinian banks, claiming that it could destabilize the Palestinian financial system.
- North Korea has put an offer on the table to halt its nuclear activities for 'corresponding measures' by the United States.
- The United Nations has issued a report calling for Iraqi elections to take place by the end of the year.
- An editorial in the Jerusalem Post claims that the ICJ doesn't take Israeli human rights into consideration.
- A European space probe will be launched to study a comet up close.
- The Union for Concerned Scientists has issued a warning about the possible health hazards of genetic contamination caused by the accidental cross-breeding of GM crops with native species.
- The University College London has cast some doubt as to whether the much maligned free radicals actually lead to the formation of cancer cells and other problems.
- Kurdish activists have collected 1.7 million signatures calling on the creation of a referendum for the formation of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. As if the US doesn't have enough problems in stabilizing the country already.

How is the Bush administration like Soviet Russia? The International Herald Tribune published a story about how scientists were repressed from releasing theories that went contrary to the official ideology of the governing powers.

Want the Democrats to win back the White House? Get on the draft Moore for President bandwagon!

And you probably think I mean Michael, don't you...

Why does it suck to be Colin Powell? Find out in a well-written article here.

Israel vs. Palestine at the ICJ, Round 1

Almost everyone is running a story today about the opening hearing to determine the legality of the wall erected by Israel on the border of the West Bank. This hearing is being conducted even though Israel refuses to participate in the process. Protests are being held both for and against the wall outside the court in The Hague and in the occupied territories. This is a very contentious issue, with many Israelis seeing the wall as protection against suicide bombers, while many Palestinians see it as blocking access to their fields, jobs and hospitals. Recent suicide bombings have given Israel what it sees as proof of the necessity of the wall, and claims that the ICJ decision will be politically motivated.

The wall itself is apparently far behind schedule in its construction, and Israel has recently removed 8 kilometers of the wall, although the government claims that there is no correlation between the removal and the court case. Since most of the bombing targets are busses, they have equipped five new busses with a security system intended to minimize the impact of a suicide bombing. The Economist has a good article explaining a little background on the whole issue between the Israelis and the Palestinians and why it garners so much attention.

Iran's elections are over with a great victory for the anti-reform parties, winning 133 of the first 192 seats that were declared. Some reform MPs have resigned because of what they see as a rigged election after the Guardian Council disapproved a large number of pro-reform candidates. European papers were also immensely critical of the election.

As I'm sure everyone knows now, Ralph Nader is running for President as an independent. Given the performance of Bush in the last four years I think it will be much harder for him to claim that the Democrats and the Republicans are all the same, thus you should vote for him.

Tony Blair has come out with two controversial proposals: first he would like to institute random drug tests in British schools, and secondly he issued an ultimatum to migrants from Eastern European countries to either find a job or leave the country. The latter move is meant to prevent immigrants from moving solely because of better government benefits.

Also:
- The United Nations Relief Agency for Palestinian Refugees has issued a report warning the member nations about the chronic despair that Palestinians face over their economic, political and social situation. It also details the rising problem of malnutrition in the occupied territories.
- Canada and the US are discussing whether the US can station ballistic missile interceptors on Canadian soil. I'm sure a backlash in Canadian public opinion will kill this deal.
- The Kurds have refused to accept key parts of the new Iraqi Constitution, asking for far greater autonomy than the document grants.
- Studies show that humans are hardwired to feel empathy for other people.
- However, wearing ribbons and going to demonstrations without follow-up action is more about feeling good about yourself than actually doing good.
- US intelligence is beginning to put together the pieces of a bomb-making ring.
- Canadian Justice Louise Arbour has been named as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, probably much to Brad's consternation.
- Scientists report that the Great Barrier Reef could be decimated by 2050.
- After years of increasing English usage in Germany, a language preservation group believes that German is making a comeback.
- The president of the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, has attacked Western nations for what she calls an exceptional injustice against Islam.
- A study jointly done by the University of Edinburgh and Oxford University have found that the females of certain species of mammals can change the gender of their offspring.
- New data collected by astronomers have lent increasing credence to the existence of dark energy.
- The US is on a tour attempting to improve relations with 'old Europe.'
- Bin Laden is apparently cornered in a mountainous area of northwest Pakistan.

Finally, a report by the Pentagon that was suppressed by the Defense Chiefs but leaked to the British Observer details how climate change could result in global catastrophe. This must come as somewhat embarrassing news to the Bush administration who have consistently downplayed the impact, and even the existence, of climate change. It also adds credence to the objections recently voiced by scientists over the administration persistently ignoring scientific data. It's all OK by the military though -- they've already created another Earth to replace this one.

Every once and a while I run across something cool at 120seconds.com (Kunstbar, etc.), and this set of Visual Poetry definitely goes on that list. I particularly like the last three, especially the poem "This City," which has kind of a slam quality to it. Enjoy!

Think the weather's bad where you are?

Well, you could be in my home province of Nova Scotia, where a recent winter storm has torn through the province leaving 30 cm of snow with winds of 100 km/h. Things are apparently so bad that this morning the government declared a provincial state of emergency.

A group comprising of 60 scientists, 20 of whom are Nobel Laureates, has issued a report today stating that the Bush administration has "deliberately and systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad." The Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that focuses on technical issues around government science policy, has also released a report critisizing the administration for similar issues.

In a problem that I remember studying back in university, the BBC has published an article on the issues surrounding the traditional knowledge of First Nations people based on a report published by the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies. There have been many cases were a Western firm would discover a use for a plant from the indigenous peoples. They would then patent the plant and find the indigenous peoples in conflict with intellectual property rights. Kind of a nice scam, eh?

In other news:
- The temple where the Buddha is said to have found enlightenment is now a United Nations World Heritage Site.
- The judiciary in Iran has shut down two major reformist newspapers in preparation for the election tomorrow.
- Jewish groups are speaking out against what they see as a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe.
- In response to the same-sex marriages being conducted in San Francisco, President Bush has been quoted as saying "I'm troubled by what I have seen."
- A Christian Science Monitor article on a group of Indian Muslim clerics visiting the United States and their reaction.
- Apparently Australian men are having a 'crisis of masculinity.' At least according to the new Labour leader.
- Your local nightclub and cancer seem to have something in common now -- they both have bouncers.
- Scientists find a huge black hole devouring another star.

The big peace-in

The negotiations between India and Pakistan seem to be humming along smoothly, with both sides agreeing to a peace 'road map' today that will begin after the Indian election in April. In other developments, Pakistan, perhaps in following up to India's call for nuclear reduction, stated that it will not attempt to match India's nuclear arsenal, though a separate announcement that it will test a long-range missile capable of hitting any target in India lessens the diplomatic impact of this promise. To make up for it though, Pakistan has also agreed to make it easier for Indian cricket fans crossing the border to see matches in Pakistan.

In another attempt to discredit Kerry without actually having any facts, the Guardian reports that a doctored photo showing him and Jane Fonda at a protest against Vietnam is in circulation. What amazes me though, is that people get upset about Kerry protesting Vietnam. You would think that someone who actually served his country over there, earning a silver star, a bronze star and three purple hearts would have the not only the knowledge to oppose the war, but probably the right to as well.

Since we were on the subject of the presidential race, I have to mention that after his defeat in Wisconsin, Howard Dean has dropped out of the leadership race. Although he's not going to be the next presidential candidate, I think he did a good job in bringing issues that would not have been legitimately brought to the table otherwise front the center. He certainly forced people like John Kerry and John Edwards to improve, which will help all Democrats when November rolls around.

In another attempt to discredit the experience of Vietnam veterans, the Nation focuses in on Ann Coulter, who decided to use some historical revisionism in an attempt to smear Max Cleland. Mr. Cleland is a Vietnam veteran who lost both legs and an arm after an accident with a grenade in Vietnam. Coulter decides that because it was an accident, he must not be a war hero. However, she overlooks every other event that he endured in her analysis.

The Israeli barrier is creating some news today. The International Red Cross, an organization that is usually known for its neutrality, has severly criticized the Israeli government for taking what it sees as actions contrary to international law 'far beyond what is permissible for an occupying power.' At the same time, Israel has decided to fly the remains of a bus from a recent suicide bombing for display outside the World Court hearings as a demonstration why the wall is needed, despite refusing to take part in the actual proceedings. Thing's aren't looking peachy at home either -- the opposition to Ariel Sharon's plan to clear the Gaza strip of Jewish settlers is becoming more pronounced. A resolution opposing the evacuation passed the Knesset on Tuesday after being sponsored by Sharon's own Likud party. Party rival and former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also came out against the plan, stating that it can not go forward without some type of reciprocity from the Palestinians.

Back in San Francisco, a judge has ruled that allowing same-sex marriages violates state law, but did not order an immediate halt to the practice as was hoped by anti-gay rights organizations. The City of San Francisco plans to follow up with a constitutional challenge against the proposition that restricted the definition of marriage to one between members of the opposite gender.

In other news:
- Tony Blair announces that social justice must be at the top of the EUs agenda in the 21st century.
- A US federal prosecutor is suing Attorney General Ashcroft alleging that he was investigated solely for raising concerns about the 'war on terror.'
- A study shows that women are more critical of other women's looks when they are at peak fertility.
- Conan O'Brien decided to apologize (sort of) to the people of Quebec after an insulting sketch.
- The UK and Argentina are making progress in their talks over the future of the Falkland Islands. I guess hard feelings don't die.
- A view of internal political reform from a conservative Iranian's perspective.
- ETA, the Basque separatist group, has announced that it will suspend terrorist activities in Catalonia.
- It's Canada 1 and Australia 2 on the list of least-costly developed nations to do business.
- Election plans in Iraq are being rethought as opposition to holding caucuses wins the day.
- A Federal Appeals Court has upheld the Do-Not-Call registry.
- An interesting piece in the New York Times on how oil can change the economic, political and cultural situation of African nations.

It's been a while...

Had a little bit of a busy week so this is the first real chance I've had to update the blog.

It turns out that the last story that I wrote about is completely false, whether intentionally or not I guess is up for everyone to decide. Alexandra Polier, who according to the right-wing Drudge Report had an affair with John Kerry, has come out completely denying that anything ever took place. In addition, her parents who were 'quoted' by a British tabloid as calling Kerry a sleazeball came out to applaud Senator Kerry on how he handled the situation and voiced their support for him in the upcoming election. It's good to know that Drudge, like his compatriots at Townhall.com (who in this story riled against why the media, and you can probably read 'liberal media' there, wasn't picking up the story), is interested in raising the level of debate in this country by providing us with vetted facts.

The talks between India and Pakistan seem to be going well, with India issuing a statement that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. Although a good step, it must be pointed out that in a conventional war between Pakistan and India, India has a clear advantage, so it's unlikely that they would need to resort to using them in a first strike capacity. Also important, and probably more beneficial to the world at large, is India's call for the total nuclear disarmament of all nations.

San Francisco remains the hot place to be if you're gay, especially since they continue to perform same-sex marriages in protest of the California law. Needless to say, there are now court challenges filed by anti-gay rights groups attempting to halt the proceedings. My question is, since when has there been people in this country who are so looking forward to getting married that they are waiting for hours in the rain and camping out after the building closes? San Francisco also gets props from the Christian Science Monitor today, who ran a story about how females now compromise many of the top positions in city government.

I'm not sure what the heck happened to President Khatami this week, but all of a sudden the 'leader of the reformers' is speaking about how Iranians should participate in the upcoming election -- much to the chagrin of some of the other reformers. Although I agree that if there is a reformer present in the riding Iranians should vote for them, I think a general boycott of ridings where the reform candidate was prohibited from running would send a stronger message than 'voting for the best possible candidate.'

There were a few additional blows against the War on Terror and the War in Iraq (remembering that they are two very different things) today, first with UN Commission on Human Rights expressing it's grave concerns over the rights abuses justified by potential security threats, and second an attack on the War in Iraq by Archbishop Desmond Tutu who called the action taken by the United States and coalition partners 'immoral.' This idea seems to resonate in other areas, since a Catholic cardinal in Britain recently told the UK Treasury that the biggest challenge confronting the world is not terrorism, but poverty.

In science/tech news:
- Hackers have already found ways to exploit the leaked Windows source code.
- In another reason why you shouldn't eat beef, a new strain of mad cow disease has been discovered.
- Astronauts have found the most distant object to date.
- Scientists at an American Association for the Advancement of Science convention predict that half of the world's 6800 languages will be extinct by the end of the century.
- German scientists are ready to test a new HIV vaccine on humans.
- London's downtown congestion charge for vehicles is being hailed as a success after one year in operation.
- The largest diamond ever has been found, with a size of approximately 10x10^49 carats.

In other news:
- The governing coalition in Serbia now depends on the support of Slobodan Milosevic's Socialist Party. Observers are, needless to say, a little worried.
- The debate between Bush's unilateralism and Powell's multilateralism continues in the Bush administration despite the prevalence of the former in recent foreign policy.
- Dutch lawmakers have voted to expel 26 000 asylum seekers from the country, though opposed by most human rights groups and 2/3 of the Dutch public.
- China has arrested another dissident for subversion after publishing articles looking to overthrow the socialist system on the internet.
- Israel, despite recent plans to move settlers out of the Gaza Strip, has now turned around and approved $22 million in funding for the expansion of settlements.

And on the lighter side:
- A great piece in the New York Times about what it takes to put together a Steinway.
- A teenager, officially missing for 14 years, finds himself on the internet.

In case you were wondering who the woman all the John Kerry fuss is about is: courtesy of Wonkette.

Start building a wall -- everyone's doing it!

With the Israeli High Court coming back with a decision that they can not rule on the construction of the security wall because the question asked was too general, it seems that everyone is getting into the act of building walls for one reason or another. Saudi Arabia and Yemen are having talks to build a wall along their mutual borders to prevent smuggling and illegal crossing. Of course you can't have a protest about Israel building a wall without building one yourself, which is exactly what German protesters did this weekend at the former location of Checkpoint Charlie.

MSNBC has a somewhat lengthy article on one of the questions brought up by Mel Gibson's new film, The Passion, asking 'Who killed Jesus?' They correctly point out that the film's portrayal of the Jewish high priests as bloodthirsty compared to Pontius Pilate who is played as a figure bullied into handing down the sentence is incorrect. Historically, it was likely the other way around, as the article points out:

The two earliest and most reliable extra-Biblical references to Jesus those of the historians Josephus and Tacitus say Jesus was executed by Pilate. The Roman prefect was Caiaphas' political superior and even controlled when the Jewish priests could wear their vestments and thus conduct Jewish rites in the Temple. Pilate was not the humane figure Gibson depicts. According to Philo of Alexandria, the prefect was of "inflexible, stubborn, and cruel disposition," and known to execute troublemakers without trial.

The article continues on to give a historical perspective on the writing of the Gospels, emphasizing how political and social conditions caused the authors to change the perspective of the story.

Although I heard this story on the Daily Show last night, I found it reported in the BBC today. Apparently an American Airlines pilot decided to ask all Christians on his flight to raise their hands and then proceed to call all non-Christians 'crazy.' As John Steward put it last night, "I don't know what people are getting upset about. What could possibly go wrong with the controls of the airplane in the hands of a religious zealot?"

A couple of interesting science stories:
- Scientific American has an article review a number of books published recently that try to explain consciousnessss.
- Nissan is experimenting with a 'sonic gun' that they hope will surpress hailstorms.
- The New York Times has an article about how people perceiveve heat. You should check it out just for the picture of the guy taking an 'ice bath.'

A little warning for those of you who decided that signing up for Friendster or a similar service was a good idea. You might be compromising your privacy.

It's really time for Dean to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to his presidential run, but unfortunately he just announced that even if he looses Wisconsin (which probably means that he expects to), he won't quit the race. Now that he's reduced his message to rallying against 'Washington insiders' and 'special interests,' he's basically turned himself into a one-trick pony. Just a small note to this message -- everyone is an insider once you get there, and everyone has special interests. To think that you don't (or won't) is sheer lunacy.

Both of my pet stories seemed to have wrapped up this week, with the French legislature passing the headscarves law by a huge majority, and President Khatami conceded defeat in trying to reinstate the remaining banned candidates before the elections on February 20th. Still, his public opposition challenged the authority of the Guardian Council and was effective in reinstating some of the banned candidates. The process of democratization is slow, so one can't expect a country like Iran to immediately transform itself into a modern Western republic. What is important is the gains made this time around by President Khatami and the other reformers.

In another display of how different America is with the rest of the world culturally, we have two opposing stories. First from the Christian Science Monitor, a story about how the Massachusetts legislaturere is expected to pass a constitutional amendment banning homosexuals from marriage, the leader of the British Conservative Party, Michael Howard, has just announced that he endorses gay partnerships. He does differentiate between civil unions, which he supports, and marriage, which he doesn't, but for the leader of the major right-wing party to come out with such a stance is telling of how the rest of the world is dealing with this issue. The Guardian quotes him as saying:

"Families are changing, not all conform to the traditional pattern. I continue to believe that the conventional marriage and family is the best environment within which to bring up children. But many couples now choose not to marry. And more same-sex couples want to take on the shared responsibilities of a committed relationship. Civil partnership differs from marriage. Marriage is a separate and special relationship which we should continue to celebrate and sustain. To recognise civil partnership is not, in any way, to denigrate or downgrade marriage. It is to recognise and respect the fact that many people want to live their lives in different ways."

Finally in brief:
- The United Nations has begun a rehabilitation program for the thousands of underage Afghan fighters.
- Shelia Copps continues to flirt with the NDP despite running for the Liberal nomination.
- The BBC reports scores of people killed in new clashes in Ethiopia blamed on ethic violence.

A big weekend in science

There were just oodles of good science stories coming out over the weekend, and now that I'm done with both my weekend church-a-thon at St. Vincent Ferrer and my talk on Job for EPIC, I have some time to write about it. First, we have an article about how scientists continue to study the process of photosynthesis in order to develop an alternative energy source. But needless to say, most of the stories weren't as upbeat as this one. For instance, a recent study showed that electromagnetic fields caused rats to create a cloud of toxic ozone around them. Scientists believe that the fields are reacting with the water inside the rat's body to create the cloud. Speaking of clouds though, another story features a call to save the remaining 'cloud forests'. In case you were like me and have no idea what a cloud forest is, the article defines them as forests found in tropical mountains that because of their elevation are surrounded by clouds virtually every day. Scientists believe that they should be protected because of their ability to supply water by stripping it from the clouds and their unique genetic diversity. It's too bad that the Bush administration continues to ignore environmental concerns though. Their latest nominee to a permanent position in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has a very questionable environmental record, not to mention that he has never ever been a judge.

There is also a good article from National Geographic that explains some of the theories behind why dogs get along so well with humans. It's apparently not because we keep feeding them.

There were three articles from the New Scientist that caught my attention as well. The first talks about the Mars trip, where the rover has sent back pictures of the Martian soil that feature near perfect spheres. Although there are a couple of ways that these particles could have been formed, scientists are most excited by the idea that they could testify to the presence of water sometime in Mars' past. Scientists at the University of British Columbia have done some work that could partially explain why some people seem to have a 'sixth sense.' Calling the phenomina 'mindsight,' they found that about one third of people asked if a picture had changed said that they knew it was different without being able to tell why they thought that way. There is also an article outlining some of the ramificaitons of global warming, including an observation that the upper atmostphere is thinning.

However global warming has multiple effects as the Utne Reader points out. An potential increase in global temperatures could wreak havoc with ocean currents. Scientists speculate that it would even turn off the Gulf Stream, causing a massive plunge in temperatures in Europe.

I think it's pretty obvious that John Kerry is going to be the Democratic nominee for this year. Everyone else is battling it out for the VP position right now. I have mentioned before that I have no idea how this came about from a month ago when he seemed to be nowhere, but luckily the Christian Science Monitor has a good article explaining (somewhat) how he came to be in the frontrunner position that he's in now. I'm not overly disappointed though, as I think Dean basically has only himself to blame for blowing the lead that he once had. The New York Times believes that the Democrats will be a unified party by the time the convention rolls around, and I think that is definitely going to be the case. Whatever the minor differences between opinions that the different candidates have, they are nothing compared to the differences between any of them and George Bush.

With the real campaign about to kickoff now that the primaries are pretty much determined, George Bush took the time to give the press an interview -- a rare event from the president with the fewest number of press conferences in recent history. He went on to defend the war in Iraq and the new international relations paradigm that he introduced.

The New Republic had a field day with Bush's other pet project -- fitting God and religion into as many statements as possible. My favorite part is from a Globe and Mail article that they cite, where upon a meeting between the new Prime Minister Paul Martin and George Bush they reported the following:

Though it wasn't publicized at the time, Prime Minister Paul Martin got a sense of that sanctimony when he met with Mr. Bush in early January in Mexico. Mr. Bush let the Prime Minister know that he believed himself to be on the side of God and tending to God's mission. The Canadian side, while aware of the President's penchant for religiosity, had been expecting to talk more about softwood lumber than the Ten Commandments. The Canadians didn't expect the morality play. Nor did they expect that, almost in the same breath, Mr. Bush would be filling the air with the f-word and other saucy expletives of the type that would surely leave the Lord perturbed ... Mr. Martin was somewhat taken aback by what he heard. After the meeting, he was barely out the door before he was asking someone in his entourage what was to be made of all the God stuff. In meetings of presidents and prime ministers, religion has rarely been at the forefront. Business is conducted on the basis of knowledge and logic. With the Bush White House, the visitors must bear in mind that there is a third force.

In other news:
- The Supreme Court of Israel heard a challenge today from two Israeli human rights groups over the construction of the wall separating the West bank from Israel.
- The Guardian reports that Britain aided the United States in spying on other United Nations countries before the war in Iraq, in a deliberate disregard to the Vienna conventions on diplomatic relations, which strictly outlaw espionage at the UN headquarters.
- A troop of Chinese acrobats have defected to Canada, presumably due to religious and cultural oppression.
- The Toronto Star reports that a terror attack on Ottawa was thwarted in 1999.
- The Vatican reports that the health of the Pope has improved.
- In a symbol of how progressive Canada is on social issues compared to the US, the new Conservative Party in Canada has banned an MP from joining its caucus after he had made comments to the media the homosexuality should be outlawed and that there was a 'well-orchestrated conspiracy' to promote gay rights in Canada.

Finally, two articles about how gay rights are shaping the upcoming election. First an article illustrating how recent judicial rulings have spurned on conservative Christian groups who are actively campaigning for a constitutional amendment banning gay unions of any kind. Also an article about how despite a few high-profile cases in favor of their cause, most cases put before the courts by activists promoting gay rights are defeated. The article centers around the idea of whether laws should promote majority notions of morality at the risk of facing a classic tyranny of the majority situation, or whether laws must be more neutral and allow for greater freedom and liberty.

Important social issues

I'm starting this one off with a comment that Paul made in my last post. I agree with Paul that it's unclear what the big deal about accidentally showing a breast on TV is. However, what disturbs me more is how fixated the media is about this issue. Like a scene straight from Manufacturing Consent, it seems that the media can't get enough of the Janet Jackson thing. As a writer for The Nation points out, there has been much more airtime devoted to this issue than to many others, even those that are much more pressing. In what seems like the news-cycle that never ends, the latest incarnation is talk of implementing a delay during the Grammy awards to avoid 'similar mistakes.'

The Nation also has a pretty good roundup of the Democratic primary, including a (false) rumor that the Republicans are spreading about John Kerry using Botox. They get one thing wrong though -- they wonder where all the 'Deaniacs' that Dean was going to bring to the race are since he hasn't been doing so well. They conclude that the Deaniacs don't vote, but my better guess is that they're defecting en masse to other campaigns.

News organizations can't seem to get enough of Sharon's Gaza Plan. The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor (which has this great picture accompanying the article), and the BBC all had articles featuring different aspects and repercussions of the plan.

The political maneuvering in Iran continues, with the Guardian Council reviewing, again, the list of banned candidates after reinstating 1 160 last week. Despite all of this turmoil, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that the election will go forward as scheduled on February 20th.

In my other pet issue, the Prime Minister of France came out defending the headscarf ban, saying that the law was necessary because the wearing of headscarves takes on a political dimension. However, the best article I have read on this issue, hands down, comes from the Guardian today. In an exceptionally well-balanced piece of writing they thoroughly illustrate the sheer complexity of the social issues surrounding this bill, with a focus on how other European countries are dealing with their movement to multi-ethnic societies.

One of the problems that nations have to face with immigration is the backlash of the existing populace. It seems that this backlash has taken a political foothold in Britain, with the ultra-right wing British National Party poised to win seats in the upcoming European elections due to low voter turnout and recent surge in anti-asylum seeker stories. If you look at their website, you notice the slogan, "Working for People Like You," although all of the people in the pictures seem to be middle class and white.

In an article that could be placed under the heading "wither US intelligence?" the Guardian points out that Bush's inquiry into how US intelligence botched the WMD question in Iraq is actually the second major intelligence inquiry during his presidency, the first being the post-9/11 inquiry into how the hijackings occurred without government knowledge. An interesting article.

The high court of Massachusetts came back with a clarification to their gay-marriage ruling by stating that only full marriages, not civil unions, would be constitutionally permissible. The court issued its advisory opinion against civil unions, as asked by the state's Senate, with an argument that I personally agree with, that being that the it creates an, "inferior and discriminatory status for same-sex couples." Even better, and I need to quote this in full because it represents the crux of the argument:

"[The State] has failed to identify any constitutionally adequate reason for denying civil marriage to same-sex couples. Barred access to the protections, benefits and obligations of civil marriage, a person who enters into an intimate, exclusive union with another of the same sex is arbitrarily deprived of membership in one of our community's most rewarding and cherished institutions.''

Mel Gibson has (quite rightfully) decided to remove a section of his upcoming film, The Passion, that depicts the Jewish high priest declaring that the "[Blood of Jesus] be on us and our children." Given the very questionable historical veracity of this comment, not to mention that it is responsible for many of the anti-Semitic feelings over the last two centuries by Christians, I feel that this is an appropriate move.

Also, in brief:
- Deutsche Welle has an interesting article about some of the complexities involved in implementing green credits for businesses.
- The UN has issued a warning that tensions between Entrea and Ethiopia are increasing after three years of peace between the two countries.

And in the offbeat news category, a judge in Miami Beach sentenced a man to 2 1/2 hours of La Traviata after breaking a noise ordinance by blaring music in his car. Apparently this sentence has been given to hundreds of offenders, which prompts me to wonder whether the local Opera Hall has been doing increased business from converts.

And you know it would happen in the Superbowl I didn't watch

Well, there was at least one other person who missed the whole Janet Jackson thing (which, with a warning, you can see in detail here) at the Superbowl other than myself -- George Bush. Now, while I at least can say that I boycotted the game, Bush's excuse is that he missed the controversy because he fell asleep before halftime. Hopefully he'll be more upbeat for the upcoming election, as a Guardian article points out that he's in for a tough ride if John Kerry wins the nomination. Why? Well, not because the massive deficits (although that's getting to be a larger and larger problem), or even the WMD problem, but rather because Kerry polls very, very well with Catholics, particularly of the male variety that voted predominately for Bush in 2000.

The New York Times has a decent piece on Kerry today focusing on his style. Of course, I'm still hoping the John Edwards will have a good showing tonight, but like almost any Democrat, I'll be supporting whoever is not George Bush.

Despite talk of its demise, it looks like Hubble is still making crucial discoveries, today detecting carbon and oxygen in the atmosphere of a planet about 150 light years away. This doesn't indicate extraterrestrial life, as the oxygen appeared in atomic form as opposed to a molecular form that is the result of photosynthesis, but still represents an important discovery.

In updates:
- Ariel Sharon is sticking to his plan to evacuate the Gaza Strip despite vocal opposition. Public opinion polls put support at 59% though, so it might work out for him in the end.
- The debate in the French parliament over the banning of overt religious symbols is about to begin.
- Students in Iran have been banned from staging a pro-reformist demonstration.

Finally, in a piece that I personally identified with, it looks like I'm not the only church musician who inserts secular music into the service for his/her own amusement. The BBC has a story about church organists doing exactly that. Now, I haven't used the theme from the Blackadder yet, but reading this story did give me some valuable ideas...

Just when you were hoping winter was over

It looks like we're in for six more weeks of winter, as 3 out of 4 groundhogs saw their shadows and ran back in their holes today. C'est domage...

Starting off with a bit of science news, we now have two more elements to add to the periodic table. Called Ununtrium and Ununpentium with atomic numbers of 113 and 115 respectively, both survived for only a fraction of a second in a particle accelerator before decaying into other elements. Though most of the upper elements are unstable, scientists believe that there are certain number that theoretically could be stable such as 114, 120 and 126 because their electron shells are to full capacity. In what could be seen as a little more practical science though, scientists are now examining how the earth shook off a previous period of global warming, with the hopes that it might bring some understanding on how we can reverse the current climate change. The Globe and Mail reports today that one in four teenagers aged 16 to 19 have suffered at least one major depressive episode, with a strong correlation between depression and smoking. Finally, an exhibit in Los Angeles attempts to demonstrate the principles of quantum physics and nanotechology through art.

Intel is coming out with a new Pentium 4 chip that packs more components together than existing chips and increases the ability of the chip to deal with audio and video. On the other side of the Wintel conglomerate though they just got slammed by an Amnesty International report that shows how Microsoft's products are being used by the Government of China to censor the internet and jail political opponents. This comes in violation of a new United Nations Human Rights codes designed for multinationals that states that businesses should, 'seek to ensure that the goods and services they provide will not be used to abuse human rights.'

In Israeli news, Ariel Sharon announced that he plans to order the removal of 17 settlements from the Gaza Strip, displacing about 7 500 settlers. He stated that these settlements were a constant source of friction between the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well as an ongoing security problem. The move will not be simple though, as the plan would have to include moving such things as factories and educational institutions in addition to the settlers, so Sharon is looking to the United States for support and financing. The eventual outcome, according to Sharon, is to have no Jews living in the Gaza Strip. If this is going forward, Sharon better make his move soon because, as an Economist article illustrates this week, his corruption scandal might force him out of office before he can implement his strategy.

Speaking on conflict, the Atlantic has a good article on how small arms have fueled most conflicts in the last decade. It sort of reminds me of how John Ralston Saul talks about the negative effects of arms trading in his book Voltaire's Bastards (which everyone should read).

The political situation in Iran is heating up with more than 100 Iranian MPs staging a mass resignation in protest of the Guardian Council's decision to ban reformist candidates. Representing about one third of Parliament, the members issued the following collective statement upon resigning: "We cannot continue to be present in a Parliament that is not capable of defending the rights of the people and that is unable to prevent elections in which the people cannot choose their representatives." Following that event, the largest pro-reform party in Iran, the Islamic Participation Front, issued a release stating that it will not take part in the upcoming elections on February 20th. I'm personally fascinated with what's going on here (as if you couldn't tell by the amount I report on it) because it represents a model by which a theocratic regime can go through an evolutionary process to become increasingly democratic. The next couple of weeks should be very interesting.

Another story that I've personally been interested in is the French law banning religious symbols from schools. The Christian Science Monitor has an article today with a recap of where the issue is, with a focus on a group that has of yet been overlooked in the conversation -- the Sikhs. What surprised me most about the article is how both 69% of the French population support the bill and only 53% of Muslims oppose it. I would have expected the latter number to by much higher, since they will tend to be disproportionately affected by the legislation.

Finally, two interesting links. One is a program called Snackster that uses peer-to-peer technology not to share music, but recipes. The other is a little bit of a fun site where you can now find out what the "Scrabble score" of your name is by typing it in here, and then, voila:

My Scrabble© Score is: 36.