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.