Wednesday, March 31, 2004
BlogPulse Top Links [BETA] - Automated Trend Discovery for Weblogs
Just found out that one of the stories I reported on made number 19 on BlogPulse -- the one about the spiral pattern of the Mars polar icecaps.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
They always get their man...
Scotland Yard has arrested eight people in London who had half a tonne of fertilizer in their possession. In Spain authorities have arrested two more suspects and released three, bringing the total to 21 arrested and 14 charged.
On Iraq, Secretary General Kofi Anann has fired his chief of global security and penalized other staff members over the failure to take adequate security precautions that led to the bombing of the UN building, killing 22 people including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the High Commissioner for Human Rights. British foreign secretary Jack Straw has commented that the UN charter will not be changed to allow for preemptive military strikes like those called on Iraq.
US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice has agreed (finally) to testify before the 9/11 commission, so long as the White House receives assurances in writing that doing this does not create a precedent.
The UN has halted food deliveries to the Gaza Strip because of restrictions place on them by Israel. The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militia released a statement declaring that the occupied territories were off limits to American diplomats meeting with Ariel Sharon because of the UN veto against condemning the assassination of Ahmed Yasin. 10 000 protesters marched in Galilee for Land Day and against the assassination today. The Economist talks about whether anyone can get the peace process back on track. Ariel Sharon is getting ready for a convention of his Likud party, where its unlikely that he'll bring up either the Gaza Strip pullout plan or his legal problems. The government has also refused to grant residence visas to 130 Catholic Church delegates, straining relations between it and the Vatican.
In an appeal for increased foreign aid to Afghanistan, the United Nations has warned that the country could fall into crisis and become dependent on the illegal drug trade if its needs are not met.
- Scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich have found out that bats are excellent statisticians.
- An astronomer from the University of Leicester has warned that the loss of Hubble will not only hurt visual exploration, but ultraviolet exploration as well as Hubble is the only telescope able to view images in that spectrum.
- Astronomers may have found ten black holes in the center of the Andromeda galaxy.
- Researchers at Imperial College are working on how to accomplish gene therapy on unborn children.
- According to the presenters at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in Orlando, cleaning up your place will not only make it look nice, but will also reduce your risk of cancer.
- Two professors from Harvard Business School have completed an analysis showing that file sharing has no little on CD sales.
- 'Index theory,' a theory that discovers whether an equation has a solution, has won the Abel Prize, the math equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
- An article on all the wonderful things you can do with the new Mac OS.
- Slate posts a good article on how pro-choicers need to recognize that they can't get along without using the word fetus in legislation.
- BBC Correspondent Alistair Cooke died today at age 95.
- According to the group Global Witness, the international diamond industry is failing to comply with measures aimed at curbing the sales of conflict diamonds.
- Chinese authorities have detained the mothers of three students killed in the Tiananmen Square massacre for unknown reasons.
- Youth incarceration has reached its lowest point in seven years in Canada.
- FBI documents on John Kerry have been stolen from a historian's home in California.
- If you're bored today, try igniting the explosives under a jeep to hit floaty-alien things.
On Iraq, Secretary General Kofi Anann has fired his chief of global security and penalized other staff members over the failure to take adequate security precautions that led to the bombing of the UN building, killing 22 people including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the High Commissioner for Human Rights. British foreign secretary Jack Straw has commented that the UN charter will not be changed to allow for preemptive military strikes like those called on Iraq.
US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice has agreed (finally) to testify before the 9/11 commission, so long as the White House receives assurances in writing that doing this does not create a precedent.
The UN has halted food deliveries to the Gaza Strip because of restrictions place on them by Israel. The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militia released a statement declaring that the occupied territories were off limits to American diplomats meeting with Ariel Sharon because of the UN veto against condemning the assassination of Ahmed Yasin. 10 000 protesters marched in Galilee for Land Day and against the assassination today. The Economist talks about whether anyone can get the peace process back on track. Ariel Sharon is getting ready for a convention of his Likud party, where its unlikely that he'll bring up either the Gaza Strip pullout plan or his legal problems. The government has also refused to grant residence visas to 130 Catholic Church delegates, straining relations between it and the Vatican.
In an appeal for increased foreign aid to Afghanistan, the United Nations has warned that the country could fall into crisis and become dependent on the illegal drug trade if its needs are not met.
- Scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich have found out that bats are excellent statisticians.
- An astronomer from the University of Leicester has warned that the loss of Hubble will not only hurt visual exploration, but ultraviolet exploration as well as Hubble is the only telescope able to view images in that spectrum.
- Astronomers may have found ten black holes in the center of the Andromeda galaxy.
- Researchers at Imperial College are working on how to accomplish gene therapy on unborn children.
- According to the presenters at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in Orlando, cleaning up your place will not only make it look nice, but will also reduce your risk of cancer.
- Two professors from Harvard Business School have completed an analysis showing that file sharing has no little on CD sales.
- 'Index theory,' a theory that discovers whether an equation has a solution, has won the Abel Prize, the math equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
- An article on all the wonderful things you can do with the new Mac OS.
- Slate posts a good article on how pro-choicers need to recognize that they can't get along without using the word fetus in legislation.
- BBC Correspondent Alistair Cooke died today at age 95.
- According to the group Global Witness, the international diamond industry is failing to comply with measures aimed at curbing the sales of conflict diamonds.
- Chinese authorities have detained the mothers of three students killed in the Tiananmen Square massacre for unknown reasons.
- Youth incarceration has reached its lowest point in seven years in Canada.
- FBI documents on John Kerry have been stolen from a historian's home in California.
- If you're bored today, try igniting the explosives under a jeep to hit floaty-alien things.
Rwanda plus 10
It has been 10 years since the ethnic genocide in Rwanda, and the Economist marks the occasion by looking back on what happened and postulating how one of the greatest war crimes since 1945 could have been prevented had the rest of the world even taken some small steps of deterrence. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said that he should have done more to prevent the genocide as head of UN peacekeeping at the time, though Canadian Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, the commander of the UN forces in Rwanda before and during the genocide, noted that the UN at the time didn't think Rwandans were worthy of casualties. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham co-chaired the memorial conference at UN headquarters, stating that the international community must learn from what happened in Rwanda to prevent future genocidal actions. The Washington Post published an article about how the society tries to deal with les enfants de mauvais souvenir, as over 250 000 women are estimated to have been raped by Hutu militia groups.
The hunt for the perpetrators of the Spanish bombings continue as investigators have found what they believe to be the workshop where the bombs were constructed. It has also been discovered that some of the suspected bombers were pulled over by the police over traffic violations while travelling in a vehicle packed with explosives. German police investigating the background of a Moroccan student arrested by Spanish authorities who previously lived in Germany. The new Spanish socialist government has come out swinging against allegations that its victory signalled an appeasement to terrorists, and has promised to double the number of troops it has currently stationed in Afghanistan. In France authorities are detaining three suspects they believe to be involved in the plot to destroy a rail line.
A new al-Qaeda tape broadcast by al-Jazerra urges Muslims in Pakistan to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf over recent attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda positions by Pakistani troops. Pakistan believes that this fighting has led to the wounding of a prominent Uzbek al-Qaeda leader who is now forced on the run. Musharraf followed up be declaring that his government would work to eliminate al-Qaeda from its borders. For these troubles the US has agreed to wave sanctions levied against Pakistan when then General Musharraf overthrew the democratically elected government in a military coup.
The Australian government has come out against an opposition plan to bring troops home from Iraq by Christmas, while at the same time signalling that it intends to bring back at least a 1/3 of the troops by the middle of the year, causing the opposition Labour party to call the government hypocritical in its Iraq policy.
In Iraq, there has been an attempt on the life of the only female member of the Governing Council in Northern Iraq. This comes as the United States begins to hand over the control of government ministries to the Council, starting with the health ministry. The US is also ensuring that there are strong ties between the Iraqi Defence Ministry and the American military after control is fully handed over to the Council on June 30th. There are still vast internal political problems as Shiite clerics organize against the US-approved constitution. American-Shia relations continued to degrade today after the US banned a Shia newspaper for inciting violence, though supporters of the paper see it as an attack over freedom of expression. The Christian Science Monitor published a story on the rare but high-exposure human rights abuses carried out by American soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers are clearly feeling the pressure of the situation, as 23 of them have committed suicide in the last year, over a third higher than the proportion in the US army overall.
The trial of Saddam Hussein is going ahead, with French lawyer Jacques Verges offering to defend the former dictator. He has already pronounced his concern that the trial will not be fair to the defendant. It has since come out that Saddam was betrayed by a bodyguard and relative, who after capture and interrogation gave US forces the location of the dictator.
The New York Times questions whether the proposed Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip will be better for Israel or Hamas. In other Israel-related stories, the EU has warned Israel against using the construction of the security fence as a land grab from the Palestinians. Israel is going through a similar intelligence review to the United States, with a Knesset inquiry slamming Mossad for not properly assessing the threat of Libya and Iraq.
An Imam in Cairo has called upon God to 'strike down the Jews,' as about 25 000 people attended services in his Mosque. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is quoted as saying, "The current regrettable circumstances in the Palestinian occupied territories indicate that there is no partner for peace in Israel now. It is not only the criminal incident but also all these statements coming from Israel which indicate that they have no concern for peace, none whatever," as an Arab forum on regional reform and moderation opened in the wake of the Yassin assassination. Palestinian groups have come out against the use of children as suicide bombers, including the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade which is seen as behind the attempted terrorist attack involving a 14-year-old. al-Jazeera, however, goes as far as to call the whole story a fabrication, while noting that Israel has killed 263 Palestinian children under the age of 14 since the current Intifada started over 3 years ago.
The United States is in diplomatic hot water over its veto of the UN Security Council resolution last week condemning the assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Ahmen Yassin, with Russia calling the action 'regrettable,' and the Palestinians pointing out that it gives Israel a carte blanche to kill at will. The new leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, has denounced George Bush as an enemy of Muslims over the veto. Israel, needless to say, was quite happy with it.
Tony Blair's Labour government has passed the Civil Partnerships Bill, effectively giving all homosexual couples equal rights as heterosexual couples. The British Conservative party in response is holding a 'gay summit' today to improve their relations with the gay community. Back in Massachusetts state representatives and senators have come up with a similar arrangements, agreeing on a state constitutional amendment that will ban same-sex marriage but legalize civil unions. Of course there is always the option taken by officials in Benton County, Oregon, who have banned all marriages altogether until it is clear to officials there who can and can't be legally married.
Howard Dean has officially endorsed John Kerry for president at a rally at George Washington University. That's OK, because Bush got Don King's endorsement at the same time. Yes, that Don King. Slate explores the issues surrounding whether going to war during a President's term makes it more or less likely for him to be re-elected. The Christian Science Monitor points out how abortion is becoming more of an election issue. The 9/11 commission has come to the conclusion that the Clinton and Bush strategies for dealing with al-Qaeda were almost identical pre-9/11, bringing into question the Bush administration's long standing claims that they developed a superior system. The White House has also finally admitted that the President asked Clarke to look into links between Iraq and the 9/11 bombings on September 12th. The Christian Science Monitor points out how all the continued criticism is damaging the Bush administration's 'aura on terror,' causing his approval rating to fall, and the Economist looks at what went wrong and what can be done about it. In what has to be the biggest irony ever though, the Bush campaign blasted the John Kerry for using scripture to justify his points. I think the far more interesting point that seems to be missed by the article is over which quote Kerry used -- "The Scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" -- which is a very Catholic theological viewpoint as opposed to Bush's evangelical Protestant background. Very interesting...
Also:
- Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory are exploring ways to use the immune system of the mosquito to fight malaria.
- Researchers in India have obtained results showing that circumcision reduces the risk to contract AIDS.
- The Economist writes on the increasing popularity of gastric bypasses.
- Despite all of the international funding associated with it, 90% of the world's poor with AIDS have no access to retroviral drugs. This comes as human rights activists warn that the Bush administration could obstruct access to generic HIV/AIDS drugs in order to protect domestic drug companies.
- Thought olives and plum juice had to be relatively good for you? Probably overall, but according to the FDA they are not risk free.
- A team of international scientists have found that low levels of electrical activity in the brain cause some people with epilepsy to have seizures.
- The Republic of Ireland has banned smoking from all restaurants, pubs and workplaces, but it apparently won't stop the manufacturers of herbal cigarettes.
- The Mekong River in China is undergoing unusual fluctuations in its flow and scientists believe it may be caused by China's dam project.
- The United Nations Environment Program is raising the alarm on the number of dead zones in the ocean caused growths of algae.
- The Montreal Protocol, the international treaty that limits or bans the use of ozone destroying substances, is facing challenges from developing countries who want to retain the right to use a pesticide outlawed under the treaty.
- The United Nations Environment Programme has issued a report showing that the amount of plant life in the world has actually increased in the last 25 years.
- First there was ethanol in gasoline, now there might be soya oil in jet fuel.
- The government of Canada is calling on all Canadians to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by one tonne every year.
- Canadian astronomers are looking for the remains of a meteor that lit up the prarie sky last week.
- Thought we only had one moon? Turns out that we may have, well... 1 1/2... or something.
- A geomorphologist (which is one occupation I've never heard of before) at the University of Arizona has explained by the icecaps of Mars exhibit a spiral pattern.
- Unexplained results from recent particle physics experiments may have been caused by the presence of more WIMPS than usual.
- The detection of methane in the Mars atmosphere by the NASA landers may further indicate the past presence of life.
- You can't knock them for never thinking big -- NASA scientists are looking into ways to terraform Mars, while in their free time they're trying to come up with the 'Theory of Everything.'
- A NASA jet, using a scramjet engine, has broken the world speed record with a maximum speed of 4 780 mph (Mach 7).
- In a small setback to nanotechnology, buckyballs have been found to cause brain damage in fish.
- The ABC presents a transcript from a show discussing the history of how we think about light.
- The only Hebrew relic thought to be from the First Temple might be a fake.
- Thought spam was bad? Just wait until spim really catches on.
- The BBC discusses the popularity of digital cameras.
- The Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Apple drop its marketing claim that the G5 processor is 'the world's fastest, most powerful personal computer.'
- Congress might be looking into criminalizing peer-to-peer networks.
- Elections in Afghanistan are being delayed as expected over security concerns and delays in voter registration.
- The Israeli army has unveiled tiny drone planes outfitted with cameras that can be used for instant aerial intelligence.
- Over 1000 laptop users are expected to converge in a flashmob to create the world's fastest supercomputer.
- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has met with Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya, ending 30 years of international isolation.
- The United States senate has passed a bill making it a separate offence to harm a foetus during an attack on a pregnant woman.
- Looking for the model egalitarian Islamic society? According to the CSM, you should check out the Saharawis of Algeria and the Western Sahara.
- The poor inhabitants are increasingly looking towards a new saint to help them with their problems, although I'm fairly sure that it's not one condoned by the Catholic Church.
- China has announced that it will intervene in Taiwan if the political crisis continues.
- Tensions between China and Japan have increased slightly over 7 protesters who attempted to reclaim a Japanese island for China.
- The organization Transparency International has released its list of top 10 most corrupt world leaders.
- It doesn't take rocket science to know that certain parts of the United Nations should be overhauled. The Atlantic Monthly has an article about one of the proposals -- a democracy caucus.
- The Guardian explores why Americans are on average more wealthy than Brits.
- The Economist explores the limits to reform in Saudi Arabia.
- The pro-Western Justice and Development Party has held onto power in Turkish elections.
- The Socialist Party in France has made large gains in recent local elections winning over 50% with its coalition partners, much to the dismay of President Chirac.
- The party of President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has won 78.6% of the popular vote and has taken all of the seats in parliament, spurring fears of a one-party state.
- With about 70 people already killed in clashes between government forces and opposition supporters in the Ivory Coast, opposition parties are urging further protest against President Laurent Gbagbo's government.
- Cherie Blair, Tony Blair's wife, is speaking out against the number women incarcerated for petty offences in Britain.
- Mexican authorities have arrested six British cavers, accusing them of looking for radioactive materials.
- The effects of differing political traditions through colonial rulers are showing up in the new African Parliament.
- An Italian government worker strike is paralyzing the country.
- The Venezualan ombudsman has accused security forces of abusing human rights after allegations of them torturing detainees.
- The Russian military is planning on launching its own television channel.
- The New York Times discusses how reality show casting has become a science unto its own.
- You hear a lot of rhetoric about how Wall Street supposedly doesn't care about the average worker. Turns out it just might be correct.
- Seven new eastern European countries are being added to NATO today.
- Iran has allowed UN nuclear inspectors back into the country to inspect nuclear facilities, while apparently at the same time resumed some uranium-enrichment activities.
- Talks between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus are almost complete over the reunification of the country
- Stats Canada has released a report revealing that most people with low-paying jobs never graduate to higher-paying ones. At the same time, minimum-wage jobs are primarily held by teenagers or young adults.
- National Geographic Traveller has ranked Cape Breton Island as the world's second best tourist destination. (pdf)
- Point Pleasant Park in Halifax has temporarily reopened for the first time after the exceptional damage caused to it by Hurricane Juan.
- Paul Martin must be more important than we thought, as his plane was buzzed by a UFO.
- A website for the Trudeau foundation has been blocked in China, apparently because it contained references to rights and democracy.
- A court threw out the case of three Jewish brothers who were attempting to have The Passion of the Christ banned from French theatres.
- A Moscow judge has banned Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the capital city.
- The last instalment of the Left Behind series is going on sale Tuesday.
- The Pope has issued a statement reminding Catholics that Sunday is for God, not sports.
- A slightly humorous take on the comparison of same sex unions to bestiality from the Village Voice.
- A picture tour through the former Chernobyl site.
- What is the most logical thing to do with 780 gallons of red paint, three fire hoses and a 20-member crew at your disposal? Paint an iceberg, of course!
- If you've got a little time, have some fun with optics.
- A little flash animation on how the world is going to end, just in case you’re interested.
The hunt for the perpetrators of the Spanish bombings continue as investigators have found what they believe to be the workshop where the bombs were constructed. It has also been discovered that some of the suspected bombers were pulled over by the police over traffic violations while travelling in a vehicle packed with explosives. German police investigating the background of a Moroccan student arrested by Spanish authorities who previously lived in Germany. The new Spanish socialist government has come out swinging against allegations that its victory signalled an appeasement to terrorists, and has promised to double the number of troops it has currently stationed in Afghanistan. In France authorities are detaining three suspects they believe to be involved in the plot to destroy a rail line.
A new al-Qaeda tape broadcast by al-Jazerra urges Muslims in Pakistan to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf over recent attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda positions by Pakistani troops. Pakistan believes that this fighting has led to the wounding of a prominent Uzbek al-Qaeda leader who is now forced on the run. Musharraf followed up be declaring that his government would work to eliminate al-Qaeda from its borders. For these troubles the US has agreed to wave sanctions levied against Pakistan when then General Musharraf overthrew the democratically elected government in a military coup.
The Australian government has come out against an opposition plan to bring troops home from Iraq by Christmas, while at the same time signalling that it intends to bring back at least a 1/3 of the troops by the middle of the year, causing the opposition Labour party to call the government hypocritical in its Iraq policy.
In Iraq, there has been an attempt on the life of the only female member of the Governing Council in Northern Iraq. This comes as the United States begins to hand over the control of government ministries to the Council, starting with the health ministry. The US is also ensuring that there are strong ties between the Iraqi Defence Ministry and the American military after control is fully handed over to the Council on June 30th. There are still vast internal political problems as Shiite clerics organize against the US-approved constitution. American-Shia relations continued to degrade today after the US banned a Shia newspaper for inciting violence, though supporters of the paper see it as an attack over freedom of expression. The Christian Science Monitor published a story on the rare but high-exposure human rights abuses carried out by American soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers are clearly feeling the pressure of the situation, as 23 of them have committed suicide in the last year, over a third higher than the proportion in the US army overall.
The trial of Saddam Hussein is going ahead, with French lawyer Jacques Verges offering to defend the former dictator. He has already pronounced his concern that the trial will not be fair to the defendant. It has since come out that Saddam was betrayed by a bodyguard and relative, who after capture and interrogation gave US forces the location of the dictator.
The New York Times questions whether the proposed Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip will be better for Israel or Hamas. In other Israel-related stories, the EU has warned Israel against using the construction of the security fence as a land grab from the Palestinians. Israel is going through a similar intelligence review to the United States, with a Knesset inquiry slamming Mossad for not properly assessing the threat of Libya and Iraq.
An Imam in Cairo has called upon God to 'strike down the Jews,' as about 25 000 people attended services in his Mosque. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is quoted as saying, "The current regrettable circumstances in the Palestinian occupied territories indicate that there is no partner for peace in Israel now. It is not only the criminal incident but also all these statements coming from Israel which indicate that they have no concern for peace, none whatever," as an Arab forum on regional reform and moderation opened in the wake of the Yassin assassination. Palestinian groups have come out against the use of children as suicide bombers, including the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade which is seen as behind the attempted terrorist attack involving a 14-year-old. al-Jazeera, however, goes as far as to call the whole story a fabrication, while noting that Israel has killed 263 Palestinian children under the age of 14 since the current Intifada started over 3 years ago.
The United States is in diplomatic hot water over its veto of the UN Security Council resolution last week condemning the assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Ahmen Yassin, with Russia calling the action 'regrettable,' and the Palestinians pointing out that it gives Israel a carte blanche to kill at will. The new leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, has denounced George Bush as an enemy of Muslims over the veto. Israel, needless to say, was quite happy with it.
Tony Blair's Labour government has passed the Civil Partnerships Bill, effectively giving all homosexual couples equal rights as heterosexual couples. The British Conservative party in response is holding a 'gay summit' today to improve their relations with the gay community. Back in Massachusetts state representatives and senators have come up with a similar arrangements, agreeing on a state constitutional amendment that will ban same-sex marriage but legalize civil unions. Of course there is always the option taken by officials in Benton County, Oregon, who have banned all marriages altogether until it is clear to officials there who can and can't be legally married.
Howard Dean has officially endorsed John Kerry for president at a rally at George Washington University. That's OK, because Bush got Don King's endorsement at the same time. Yes, that Don King. Slate explores the issues surrounding whether going to war during a President's term makes it more or less likely for him to be re-elected. The Christian Science Monitor points out how abortion is becoming more of an election issue. The 9/11 commission has come to the conclusion that the Clinton and Bush strategies for dealing with al-Qaeda were almost identical pre-9/11, bringing into question the Bush administration's long standing claims that they developed a superior system. The White House has also finally admitted that the President asked Clarke to look into links between Iraq and the 9/11 bombings on September 12th. The Christian Science Monitor points out how all the continued criticism is damaging the Bush administration's 'aura on terror,' causing his approval rating to fall, and the Economist looks at what went wrong and what can be done about it. In what has to be the biggest irony ever though, the Bush campaign blasted the John Kerry for using scripture to justify his points. I think the far more interesting point that seems to be missed by the article is over which quote Kerry used -- "The Scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" -- which is a very Catholic theological viewpoint as opposed to Bush's evangelical Protestant background. Very interesting...
Also:
- Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory are exploring ways to use the immune system of the mosquito to fight malaria.
- Researchers in India have obtained results showing that circumcision reduces the risk to contract AIDS.
- The Economist writes on the increasing popularity of gastric bypasses.
- Despite all of the international funding associated with it, 90% of the world's poor with AIDS have no access to retroviral drugs. This comes as human rights activists warn that the Bush administration could obstruct access to generic HIV/AIDS drugs in order to protect domestic drug companies.
- Thought olives and plum juice had to be relatively good for you? Probably overall, but according to the FDA they are not risk free.
- A team of international scientists have found that low levels of electrical activity in the brain cause some people with epilepsy to have seizures.
- The Republic of Ireland has banned smoking from all restaurants, pubs and workplaces, but it apparently won't stop the manufacturers of herbal cigarettes.
- The Mekong River in China is undergoing unusual fluctuations in its flow and scientists believe it may be caused by China's dam project.
- The United Nations Environment Program is raising the alarm on the number of dead zones in the ocean caused growths of algae.
- The Montreal Protocol, the international treaty that limits or bans the use of ozone destroying substances, is facing challenges from developing countries who want to retain the right to use a pesticide outlawed under the treaty.
- The United Nations Environment Programme has issued a report showing that the amount of plant life in the world has actually increased in the last 25 years.
- First there was ethanol in gasoline, now there might be soya oil in jet fuel.
- The government of Canada is calling on all Canadians to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by one tonne every year.
- Canadian astronomers are looking for the remains of a meteor that lit up the prarie sky last week.
- Thought we only had one moon? Turns out that we may have, well... 1 1/2... or something.
- A geomorphologist (which is one occupation I've never heard of before) at the University of Arizona has explained by the icecaps of Mars exhibit a spiral pattern.
- Unexplained results from recent particle physics experiments may have been caused by the presence of more WIMPS than usual.
- The detection of methane in the Mars atmosphere by the NASA landers may further indicate the past presence of life.
- You can't knock them for never thinking big -- NASA scientists are looking into ways to terraform Mars, while in their free time they're trying to come up with the 'Theory of Everything.'
- A NASA jet, using a scramjet engine, has broken the world speed record with a maximum speed of 4 780 mph (Mach 7).
- In a small setback to nanotechnology, buckyballs have been found to cause brain damage in fish.
- The ABC presents a transcript from a show discussing the history of how we think about light.
- The only Hebrew relic thought to be from the First Temple might be a fake.
- Thought spam was bad? Just wait until spim really catches on.
- The BBC discusses the popularity of digital cameras.
- The Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Apple drop its marketing claim that the G5 processor is 'the world's fastest, most powerful personal computer.'
- Congress might be looking into criminalizing peer-to-peer networks.
- Elections in Afghanistan are being delayed as expected over security concerns and delays in voter registration.
- The Israeli army has unveiled tiny drone planes outfitted with cameras that can be used for instant aerial intelligence.
- Over 1000 laptop users are expected to converge in a flashmob to create the world's fastest supercomputer.
- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has met with Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya, ending 30 years of international isolation.
- The United States senate has passed a bill making it a separate offence to harm a foetus during an attack on a pregnant woman.
- Looking for the model egalitarian Islamic society? According to the CSM, you should check out the Saharawis of Algeria and the Western Sahara.
- The poor inhabitants are increasingly looking towards a new saint to help them with their problems, although I'm fairly sure that it's not one condoned by the Catholic Church.
- China has announced that it will intervene in Taiwan if the political crisis continues.
- Tensions between China and Japan have increased slightly over 7 protesters who attempted to reclaim a Japanese island for China.
- The organization Transparency International has released its list of top 10 most corrupt world leaders.
- It doesn't take rocket science to know that certain parts of the United Nations should be overhauled. The Atlantic Monthly has an article about one of the proposals -- a democracy caucus.
- The Guardian explores why Americans are on average more wealthy than Brits.
- The Economist explores the limits to reform in Saudi Arabia.
- The pro-Western Justice and Development Party has held onto power in Turkish elections.
- The Socialist Party in France has made large gains in recent local elections winning over 50% with its coalition partners, much to the dismay of President Chirac.
- The party of President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has won 78.6% of the popular vote and has taken all of the seats in parliament, spurring fears of a one-party state.
- With about 70 people already killed in clashes between government forces and opposition supporters in the Ivory Coast, opposition parties are urging further protest against President Laurent Gbagbo's government.
- Cherie Blair, Tony Blair's wife, is speaking out against the number women incarcerated for petty offences in Britain.
- Mexican authorities have arrested six British cavers, accusing them of looking for radioactive materials.
- The effects of differing political traditions through colonial rulers are showing up in the new African Parliament.
- An Italian government worker strike is paralyzing the country.
- The Venezualan ombudsman has accused security forces of abusing human rights after allegations of them torturing detainees.
- The Russian military is planning on launching its own television channel.
- The New York Times discusses how reality show casting has become a science unto its own.
- You hear a lot of rhetoric about how Wall Street supposedly doesn't care about the average worker. Turns out it just might be correct.
- Seven new eastern European countries are being added to NATO today.
- Iran has allowed UN nuclear inspectors back into the country to inspect nuclear facilities, while apparently at the same time resumed some uranium-enrichment activities.
- Talks between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus are almost complete over the reunification of the country
- Stats Canada has released a report revealing that most people with low-paying jobs never graduate to higher-paying ones. At the same time, minimum-wage jobs are primarily held by teenagers or young adults.
- National Geographic Traveller has ranked Cape Breton Island as the world's second best tourist destination. (pdf)
- Point Pleasant Park in Halifax has temporarily reopened for the first time after the exceptional damage caused to it by Hurricane Juan.
- Paul Martin must be more important than we thought, as his plane was buzzed by a UFO.
- A website for the Trudeau foundation has been blocked in China, apparently because it contained references to rights and democracy.
- A court threw out the case of three Jewish brothers who were attempting to have The Passion of the Christ banned from French theatres.
- A Moscow judge has banned Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the capital city.
- The last instalment of the Left Behind series is going on sale Tuesday.
- The Pope has issued a statement reminding Catholics that Sunday is for God, not sports.
- A slightly humorous take on the comparison of same sex unions to bestiality from the Village Voice.
- A picture tour through the former Chernobyl site.
- What is the most logical thing to do with 780 gallons of red paint, three fire hoses and a 20-member crew at your disposal? Paint an iceberg, of course!
- If you've got a little time, have some fun with optics.
- A little flash animation on how the world is going to end, just in case you’re interested.
Monday, March 29, 2004
Bloglines | My Blogs
Though not quite ready with the news part of things today (once again, way too many things going on), I think you should check out macenroe's session on CBC Radio 3 this week -- it's what hip-hop should be about.
Friday, March 26, 2004
The Blame Game
The big news story, at least on the domestic front, was Richard Clarke, former White House counter-terrorism director blasting the Bush administration for ignoring the terror threat before 9/11 occurred and putting pressure on the intelligence community to find a link between the attacks and Iraq. The White House, needless to say, has denied all the accusations, accusing Mr. Clarke of political opportunism. Both Colin Powell and Madeline Albright both defended their respective administration's record on terrorism, as one might expect.
All this marks one year now since the beginning of the Iraq war, with violence still plaguing the country and many citizens pondering the benefits of 'liberation.' According to the New York Times, one of the biggest problems the occupying forces have to deal with is the persistant rumors that spread around the capital. Millions of people took to the streets in a day of protest over the continuing occupation and the Bush administration's foreign policy. One of the top Shia clerics is warning the United Nations not to endorse the interim constitution, saying that it could potentially lead to the break up of the country.
As expected, after Spain's declaration that it will be pulling its troops out of Iraq, with the electoral problems John Howard is facing in Australia that could lead to the same outcome, discontent among Japanese lawmakers over the Iraq policy, and growing global dissatisfaction with American foreign policy in general, the US and Britain are seeking a new United Nations backing in Iraq. All of this comes after President Bush called for unity over Iraq last weekend in an attempt to sure up the 'coalition of the willing.'
In Spain the government has detained four more suspects in the bombings, with the country still treating over 100 people from the injuries sustained that day. Attention has now turned to and Islamic cell in Morocco, where one of the suspects allegedly met with an al-Qaeda operative. ETA spokespeople have come forward asking for a dialogue with the new Socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to look for a peaceful solution to their grievances. Outgoing President Aznar has claimed to have no issue with the election results, defending his position to join the United States in its Iraqi invasion. World leaders gathered in Madrid for a state memorial service for the 190 people confirmed killed in the attacks on Wednesday. The European Union has come up with an anti-terror package that ensures all European nations will support whatever means are deemed necessary by the EU to fight terrorism -- a needed document as the government France has recently urged calm after a bomb was found buried under train tracks, although the group suspected of planning the attack has threatened to try again.
Meanwhile in Afghanistan, hundreds of people have been killed as the assassination of a government minister has led to factional fighting around the city of Harat. The central government has dispacted hundreds of troops in response to try and quell the violence. The father of the slain minister, a warlord himself, has hailed his son as a martyr. Ongoing security problems of this nature are causing the government to consider delaying the elections slated for September.
Jerusalem is turning into a social ghost town as the fear of reprisals keeps people at home. A 14-year-old boy was caught at an Israeli checkpoint with a belt of explosives strapped to his body before they could be detonated. In response to this and other similar attacks, Amnesty International issued a report denouncing the use of children as suicide bombers. A group of 60 prominent Palestinian officials and intellectuals have called on all Palestinians not to retaliate for the attack on Ahmed Yassin, saying that it would only hurt the territory's bid for independence. Despite these attempts to tone down the situation, the Sharon government is continuing its offensive in the Gaza Strip and Jewish religious leaders have been warned that they might serve as the next targets for Hamas. Although Egypt previously declined a role in the Gaza Strip, Kofi Annan offered United Nations assistance in keeping order if the Israeli forces were to pull out of the area. On the international front, the United States has vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning the killing of Ahmed Yassin, deeming it to be 'one-sided.' Here's how the vote went down, in case you're interested:
For: China, Russia, France, Angola, Chile, Pakistan, Spain, Algeria, Benin, Brazil, Philippines
Abstained: UK, Germany, Romania
Veto: US
There has also been ongoing fighting on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as suspected al-Qaeda militants escaped from Pakistani forces through a series of secret tunnels while the Pakistani military attempted to negotiate a peace deal with tribes in the region. It was also suspected that the number two man in the al-Qaeda organization, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was with the militants, although the New York times ponders whether his capture will really make all that much of a difference in the War on Terror.
The situation in Kosovo continues to be unstable, as top UN officials now believe that the violence was led by Albainian extremists looking to settle a score with Kosovar Serbs. The head of NATO has condemed these groups as the violence claimed the life of a UN police officer. The New York Times reports that the homes of 136 Kosovar Serbs were burned to the ground just 600 feet from a UN peacekeeping base by an Albanian mob. The EU foreign policy chief was met by angry crowds when he visited Kosovo, saying that he had failed to protect them from the ethnic violence and the German Defense Minister has stated that NATO troops will likely need to remain there until at least 2006. Deutsche Welle has a pretty good summary of the historical basis for the problems the country is currently facing.
In an interesting outcome, a panel of 13 Methodist clergy has aquitted an openly lesbian minister from the charge of violating church law citing social inclusiveness and civil rights. This comes a month before the church's annual convention in Pittsburg, where I'm sure the issue will be brought up again.
The Supreme Court is taking on the case challenging whether the words 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance are constitutional. The Christian Science Monitor has a pretty good article overviewing the whole issue, but notes that most children do not see the pledge as inherently religious.
Also:
- NASA scientists have discovered life on Mars, except we were the ones to bring it there.
- Recent discoveries in physics may require scientists to rethink their theory of matter.
- Astronomers report that there is no evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life in the 800 closest starts to the sun -- or at least they're not broadcasting anything.
- A German institute has figured out a way to reproduce surround sound in mp3 files.
- A company in New York is designing 3D ads for beer that will be seen in bars.
- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all getting together in the night sky.
- A new planning tool may aid poor communities in practicing sustainable development by predicting the results of the civil decisions.
- A mutation in a gene may have been responsible for the larger brains enjoyed by modern humans.
- A professor of cellular biology at King's College London has found evidence that certain types of bacteria may cause some cancers.
- A new technology known as nano-lightning might result in a new way to cool computer chips.
- A new research center is being set up in London to save lost languages.
- Thinking about buying that cool new controller for your PS2? It might be obsolete if scientists work out all the details on making brain waves control a video game.
- Environmental issues may play a larger role than expected in the upcoming Presidential election.
- A story about how Australian farmers are using urban compost instead of artificial fertilizers.
- Slate discusses the historical reasons behind why Haiti is such a mess.
- The UN is expected to extend its mandate in Sierra Leone another year.
- Argentina has opened up a torture center as a museum. 35 000 people were killed or disappeared during the former military dictatorship.
- Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has owned up to making mistakes during the Argentinean debt crises in 2001.
- While we're talking about the IMF, Zimbabwe has agreed to start paying off some of its IMF debt.
- Economic reforms in China are harming the environment and creating new forms of poverty, according to a United Nations report.
- The United States has introduced a UN resolution aimed at preventing terrorist groups from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.
- Israel's assassination combined with everything else going on in the world is proving to be a little too much for world markets.
- The Israeli High Court has cleared the way for the evacuation of West Bank outposts.
- Despite the presence of international troops, there are still large parts of northern Haiti which are not yet under control.
- The United States is considering India officially as a major non-NATO ally.
- The New York Times has an interesting piece on right-wing punks that support George Bush. The best comment on this story is from TBogg, who states, "I remember when they used to call 'conservative punks' skinheads."
- Saudi Prince Saud Al-Faisal has called for the Arab world to handle their own affairs independent of American proposals.
- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has pointed to the candidacy of Turkey for EU membership as a test to whether the West could mend differences between it and the Arab world.
- The FBI under J. Edgar Hover apparently spied on Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry in the 1970s.
- Thanks to an American banker, the UN, or at least its history, is going on tour.
- The ABC has an interview with an Islamic cleric calling for a more constructive approach to terrorism.
- King Abdullah from Jordan is on the record stating that the purpose behind the militants isn't really to destroy the West, but to wipe out moderate Islam so they can take control. Interesting thesis, although apparently events in Indonesia provide a counterexample.
- The Russian flagship Peter the Great has been ordered back to port after it was initially reported that the ship could explode at any minute.
- 73% of the British believe that smoking should be banned in public places.
- Women who served in the 1990 Gulf war now have an increased risk of miscarriage.
- Scientists decide to strap cameras to the backs of penguins, with interesting results.
- Bob Edwards is slated to be replaced as co-host of Morning Edition after 24 years with the show.
- Without changes in the current plan, Medicare is expected to go broke by 2019.
- al-Jazeera interviews a Chechen diplomat talking about the 'slow genocide' that has taken place in his country.
- Germany and Poland have come to an agreement over the EU constitution, leading to speculation that a deal could be in place by June.
- A county in Oregon has banned all marriages altogether until the state decides who can and can not wed.
- Another common problem that gay couples are just starting to face: how does the custody of children work if the couple splits?
- Ha'aretz questions why the IDF allows religious women to be exempt from duty but not secular women.
- A court in Taiwan has blocked a bid by opposition parties to declare the recent presidential elections invalid.
- A judge in Ohio is sentencing people with DUIs to use crimson license plates so that other motorists know what they have done.
- Canada has passed legislation paving the way for its generic drug manufacturers to sell their drugs cheaply to developing nations.
- Can gay men actually be gay on TV?
- Wal-Mart has made a splash on the music download business offering 88 cent downloads.
- Corporate websites may be no more than 'financial black holes.'
- The EU has ruled that Microsoft is abusing its near monopoly status and has ordered the company to pay a fine of more than $600 million.
- A story in the Atlantic Monthly about the fall of the Dean campaign from the inside.
- A Wired article on the goodness that is RSS.
- The post-9/11 edition of The Onion was considered for a Pulitzer Prize.
- The Olympic flame is lit in Athens.
- Monty Python's The Life of Brian is returning to theatres in response to the success of The Passion.
All this marks one year now since the beginning of the Iraq war, with violence still plaguing the country and many citizens pondering the benefits of 'liberation.' According to the New York Times, one of the biggest problems the occupying forces have to deal with is the persistant rumors that spread around the capital. Millions of people took to the streets in a day of protest over the continuing occupation and the Bush administration's foreign policy. One of the top Shia clerics is warning the United Nations not to endorse the interim constitution, saying that it could potentially lead to the break up of the country.
As expected, after Spain's declaration that it will be pulling its troops out of Iraq, with the electoral problems John Howard is facing in Australia that could lead to the same outcome, discontent among Japanese lawmakers over the Iraq policy, and growing global dissatisfaction with American foreign policy in general, the US and Britain are seeking a new United Nations backing in Iraq. All of this comes after President Bush called for unity over Iraq last weekend in an attempt to sure up the 'coalition of the willing.'
In Spain the government has detained four more suspects in the bombings, with the country still treating over 100 people from the injuries sustained that day. Attention has now turned to and Islamic cell in Morocco, where one of the suspects allegedly met with an al-Qaeda operative. ETA spokespeople have come forward asking for a dialogue with the new Socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to look for a peaceful solution to their grievances. Outgoing President Aznar has claimed to have no issue with the election results, defending his position to join the United States in its Iraqi invasion. World leaders gathered in Madrid for a state memorial service for the 190 people confirmed killed in the attacks on Wednesday. The European Union has come up with an anti-terror package that ensures all European nations will support whatever means are deemed necessary by the EU to fight terrorism -- a needed document as the government France has recently urged calm after a bomb was found buried under train tracks, although the group suspected of planning the attack has threatened to try again.
Meanwhile in Afghanistan, hundreds of people have been killed as the assassination of a government minister has led to factional fighting around the city of Harat. The central government has dispacted hundreds of troops in response to try and quell the violence. The father of the slain minister, a warlord himself, has hailed his son as a martyr. Ongoing security problems of this nature are causing the government to consider delaying the elections slated for September.
Jerusalem is turning into a social ghost town as the fear of reprisals keeps people at home. A 14-year-old boy was caught at an Israeli checkpoint with a belt of explosives strapped to his body before they could be detonated. In response to this and other similar attacks, Amnesty International issued a report denouncing the use of children as suicide bombers. A group of 60 prominent Palestinian officials and intellectuals have called on all Palestinians not to retaliate for the attack on Ahmed Yassin, saying that it would only hurt the territory's bid for independence. Despite these attempts to tone down the situation, the Sharon government is continuing its offensive in the Gaza Strip and Jewish religious leaders have been warned that they might serve as the next targets for Hamas. Although Egypt previously declined a role in the Gaza Strip, Kofi Annan offered United Nations assistance in keeping order if the Israeli forces were to pull out of the area. On the international front, the United States has vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning the killing of Ahmed Yassin, deeming it to be 'one-sided.' Here's how the vote went down, in case you're interested:
For: China, Russia, France, Angola, Chile, Pakistan, Spain, Algeria, Benin, Brazil, Philippines
Abstained: UK, Germany, Romania
Veto: US
There has also been ongoing fighting on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as suspected al-Qaeda militants escaped from Pakistani forces through a series of secret tunnels while the Pakistani military attempted to negotiate a peace deal with tribes in the region. It was also suspected that the number two man in the al-Qaeda organization, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was with the militants, although the New York times ponders whether his capture will really make all that much of a difference in the War on Terror.
The situation in Kosovo continues to be unstable, as top UN officials now believe that the violence was led by Albainian extremists looking to settle a score with Kosovar Serbs. The head of NATO has condemed these groups as the violence claimed the life of a UN police officer. The New York Times reports that the homes of 136 Kosovar Serbs were burned to the ground just 600 feet from a UN peacekeeping base by an Albanian mob. The EU foreign policy chief was met by angry crowds when he visited Kosovo, saying that he had failed to protect them from the ethnic violence and the German Defense Minister has stated that NATO troops will likely need to remain there until at least 2006. Deutsche Welle has a pretty good summary of the historical basis for the problems the country is currently facing.
In an interesting outcome, a panel of 13 Methodist clergy has aquitted an openly lesbian minister from the charge of violating church law citing social inclusiveness and civil rights. This comes a month before the church's annual convention in Pittsburg, where I'm sure the issue will be brought up again.
The Supreme Court is taking on the case challenging whether the words 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance are constitutional. The Christian Science Monitor has a pretty good article overviewing the whole issue, but notes that most children do not see the pledge as inherently religious.
Also:
- NASA scientists have discovered life on Mars, except we were the ones to bring it there.
- Recent discoveries in physics may require scientists to rethink their theory of matter.
- Astronomers report that there is no evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life in the 800 closest starts to the sun -- or at least they're not broadcasting anything.
- A German institute has figured out a way to reproduce surround sound in mp3 files.
- A company in New York is designing 3D ads for beer that will be seen in bars.
- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all getting together in the night sky.
- A new planning tool may aid poor communities in practicing sustainable development by predicting the results of the civil decisions.
- A mutation in a gene may have been responsible for the larger brains enjoyed by modern humans.
- A professor of cellular biology at King's College London has found evidence that certain types of bacteria may cause some cancers.
- A new technology known as nano-lightning might result in a new way to cool computer chips.
- A new research center is being set up in London to save lost languages.
- Thinking about buying that cool new controller for your PS2? It might be obsolete if scientists work out all the details on making brain waves control a video game.
- Environmental issues may play a larger role than expected in the upcoming Presidential election.
- A story about how Australian farmers are using urban compost instead of artificial fertilizers.
- Slate discusses the historical reasons behind why Haiti is such a mess.
- The UN is expected to extend its mandate in Sierra Leone another year.
- Argentina has opened up a torture center as a museum. 35 000 people were killed or disappeared during the former military dictatorship.
- Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has owned up to making mistakes during the Argentinean debt crises in 2001.
- While we're talking about the IMF, Zimbabwe has agreed to start paying off some of its IMF debt.
- Economic reforms in China are harming the environment and creating new forms of poverty, according to a United Nations report.
- The United States has introduced a UN resolution aimed at preventing terrorist groups from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.
- Israel's assassination combined with everything else going on in the world is proving to be a little too much for world markets.
- The Israeli High Court has cleared the way for the evacuation of West Bank outposts.
- Despite the presence of international troops, there are still large parts of northern Haiti which are not yet under control.
- The United States is considering India officially as a major non-NATO ally.
- The New York Times has an interesting piece on right-wing punks that support George Bush. The best comment on this story is from TBogg, who states, "I remember when they used to call 'conservative punks' skinheads."
- Saudi Prince Saud Al-Faisal has called for the Arab world to handle their own affairs independent of American proposals.
- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has pointed to the candidacy of Turkey for EU membership as a test to whether the West could mend differences between it and the Arab world.
- The FBI under J. Edgar Hover apparently spied on Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry in the 1970s.
- Thanks to an American banker, the UN, or at least its history, is going on tour.
- The ABC has an interview with an Islamic cleric calling for a more constructive approach to terrorism.
- King Abdullah from Jordan is on the record stating that the purpose behind the militants isn't really to destroy the West, but to wipe out moderate Islam so they can take control. Interesting thesis, although apparently events in Indonesia provide a counterexample.
- The Russian flagship Peter the Great has been ordered back to port after it was initially reported that the ship could explode at any minute.
- 73% of the British believe that smoking should be banned in public places.
- Women who served in the 1990 Gulf war now have an increased risk of miscarriage.
- Scientists decide to strap cameras to the backs of penguins, with interesting results.
- Bob Edwards is slated to be replaced as co-host of Morning Edition after 24 years with the show.
- Without changes in the current plan, Medicare is expected to go broke by 2019.
- al-Jazeera interviews a Chechen diplomat talking about the 'slow genocide' that has taken place in his country.
- Germany and Poland have come to an agreement over the EU constitution, leading to speculation that a deal could be in place by June.
- A county in Oregon has banned all marriages altogether until the state decides who can and can not wed.
- Another common problem that gay couples are just starting to face: how does the custody of children work if the couple splits?
- Ha'aretz questions why the IDF allows religious women to be exempt from duty but not secular women.
- A court in Taiwan has blocked a bid by opposition parties to declare the recent presidential elections invalid.
- A judge in Ohio is sentencing people with DUIs to use crimson license plates so that other motorists know what they have done.
- Canada has passed legislation paving the way for its generic drug manufacturers to sell their drugs cheaply to developing nations.
- Can gay men actually be gay on TV?
- Wal-Mart has made a splash on the music download business offering 88 cent downloads.
- Corporate websites may be no more than 'financial black holes.'
- The EU has ruled that Microsoft is abusing its near monopoly status and has ordered the company to pay a fine of more than $600 million.
- A story in the Atlantic Monthly about the fall of the Dean campaign from the inside.
- A Wired article on the goodness that is RSS.
- The post-9/11 edition of The Onion was considered for a Pulitzer Prize.
- The Olympic flame is lit in Athens.
- Monty Python's The Life of Brian is returning to theatres in response to the success of The Passion.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Troubles in the Holy Land
With so many things going on, it's difficult to figure out which story I should catch up with first. But as interesting as the intelligence failures of the CIA are, I think the real news in terms of international repercussions has to be the assasination of Hamas spiritual leader and cofounder Ahmed Yassin. His death led to tens of thousands of Palestinians coming out to mourn and protest his passing as Israel braces itself for a new onslaught of violence. This is not the first time that Israel has attempted to kill Yassin, with an attempt last September that bombed a building just as the Sheikh was leaving. The Hindu has published an article providing a step-by-step analysis of how the assassination was carried out for all of you tactical people out there. Hamas has already held elections to replace Yassin with a new leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who the Guardian describes as a veteran militant dedicated to the destruction of the Israeli state.
His killing has been widely condemned in the international community, including Norway, Saudi Arabia, India, Canada, Japan, and the European Union. A protest in Sweden had to be broken up with attack dogs after anti-Israeli demonstrators began to encroach on a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators. The United Nations Security Council could not come to a statement that was agreed by all parties because of differences between the United States and Algeria, although the United Nations Human Rights Commission did not have the same problem. The American response changed dramatically over time, with almost tacit support of the operation just after it was committed growing to open criticism as the rest of the world almost uniformly condemned the attack.
The government of Israel remains unrepentant, stating that they have a 'natural right' to target militants whose sole purpose is the destruction of the Israeli state. Prime Minister Arial Sharon stated that, "This is a difficult struggle that all the countries of the enlightened world must participate in. It is the natural right of the Jewish people, like that of all nations in the world that love life, to hunt down those who rise to destroy it," adding that the government will continue to kill the entire leadership of Hamas as the organization is a "strategic enemy of Israel and should be destroyed." Spokespeople from Hamas retaliated saying, "Words cannot describe the emotion of anger and hate inside our hearts. The enemy should expect a response that will turn the ground under his feet to hell ... All of Palestine will turn into a volcano that will burn up the enemies." Even al-Qaeda representatives got in on the action with, "We tell Palestinians that Sheikh Yassin's blood was not spilt in vain and call on all legions of Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades to avenge him by attacking the tyrant of the age, America, and its allies," although Hamas itself has declared no intention to seek out American targets. The Bank of England has frozen assets on Hamas leaders as the organization declared Prime Minister Sharon a target for their attacks.
As we can all see, this conflict isn't going away any time soon as the families of the victims on both sides continue to bare the weight of the conflict. Both Ha'aretz and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation believe that the assassination will lead to the strengthening of Hamas over Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. It also seems to signal the end to what has so far been called a 'low-intensity conflict.' Overall most analysts expect there to be a definite price for Yassin's assassination. Hours after the killing Hezbollah units in southern Lebanon fired rockets and mortars at Israeli troops, to which Israel responded with an air raid.
I'll be getting to other major stories later on, but have a few other snippets as well:
- A story on how to properly filter your life from unnecessary input.
- USA Today now has its own Jason Blair.
- For the 3rd year in a row, Walmart tops the Fortune 500 list.
- AOL is now blocking spammer's websites, even though some claim that it is a legitimate business.
- Kasparov managed to fend off the 13-year-old Norwegian chess prodigy in a rematch.
- Regional elections in France have given Prime Minister Chirac something to worry about.
- Tony Blair, on the other hand, is a sure thing in the next election -- at least according to a computer simulation.
- A former Japanese Prime Minister is urging the Japanese government to help improve American/French relations.
- The government of Rwanda has put together a list of 300 people living outside the country who are suspected of playing a role in the 1994 genocide.
- Clashes between Maoist rebels and Nepalese government forces have left over 130 dead in recent days.
- President Bush has called on both sides of the Sudanese conflict to come to a peaceful resolution.
- Traditional New Year's celebrations in Afghanistan have left 4 people dead and over 100 injured as crowds crushed them while trying to enter shrines.
- The peace talks between tribal leaders in Somalia have run into some issues.
- An area in western Sudan known as Darfur is combating the worst humanitarian crisis since Rwanda.
- The BJP has declared their intent to ensure that India becomes one of the three major world powers by 2050.
- China and India are looking to boost their military ties.
- A French citizen has been caught by Australian authorities who believes he was attempting to conduct a terrorist attack against a nuclear installation or a US military base.
- Stephen Harper has won the leadership of the Canadian Conservative party, and so will be going up against Prime Minister Paul Martin in what could be an epic battle.
- A second seat has opening up on the Supreme Court of Canada.
- Slate asks if a one time unwanted sexual advance is really a feminist issue. Once you're done with that, you can go on to find out about the IPO of a Russian defence firm or the economics of faking an orgasm.
- Apparently 1/3 of Germans have cheated on their partner.
- If you're going to produce campaign apparel, you might want to ensure that they don't come from a country you currently have a trade embargo with.
- Virgin Airways has decided to scrap their plans for lip-shaped urinals. You have to check out the picture if nothing else.
- If the definition of marriage were up to the Bible, people (especially women) might not like all the results.
His killing has been widely condemned in the international community, including Norway, Saudi Arabia, India, Canada, Japan, and the European Union. A protest in Sweden had to be broken up with attack dogs after anti-Israeli demonstrators began to encroach on a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators. The United Nations Security Council could not come to a statement that was agreed by all parties because of differences between the United States and Algeria, although the United Nations Human Rights Commission did not have the same problem. The American response changed dramatically over time, with almost tacit support of the operation just after it was committed growing to open criticism as the rest of the world almost uniformly condemned the attack.
The government of Israel remains unrepentant, stating that they have a 'natural right' to target militants whose sole purpose is the destruction of the Israeli state. Prime Minister Arial Sharon stated that, "This is a difficult struggle that all the countries of the enlightened world must participate in. It is the natural right of the Jewish people, like that of all nations in the world that love life, to hunt down those who rise to destroy it," adding that the government will continue to kill the entire leadership of Hamas as the organization is a "strategic enemy of Israel and should be destroyed." Spokespeople from Hamas retaliated saying, "Words cannot describe the emotion of anger and hate inside our hearts. The enemy should expect a response that will turn the ground under his feet to hell ... All of Palestine will turn into a volcano that will burn up the enemies." Even al-Qaeda representatives got in on the action with, "We tell Palestinians that Sheikh Yassin's blood was not spilt in vain and call on all legions of Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades to avenge him by attacking the tyrant of the age, America, and its allies," although Hamas itself has declared no intention to seek out American targets. The Bank of England has frozen assets on Hamas leaders as the organization declared Prime Minister Sharon a target for their attacks.
As we can all see, this conflict isn't going away any time soon as the families of the victims on both sides continue to bare the weight of the conflict. Both Ha'aretz and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation believe that the assassination will lead to the strengthening of Hamas over Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. It also seems to signal the end to what has so far been called a 'low-intensity conflict.' Overall most analysts expect there to be a definite price for Yassin's assassination. Hours after the killing Hezbollah units in southern Lebanon fired rockets and mortars at Israeli troops, to which Israel responded with an air raid.
I'll be getting to other major stories later on, but have a few other snippets as well:
- A story on how to properly filter your life from unnecessary input.
- USA Today now has its own Jason Blair.
- For the 3rd year in a row, Walmart tops the Fortune 500 list.
- AOL is now blocking spammer's websites, even though some claim that it is a legitimate business.
- Kasparov managed to fend off the 13-year-old Norwegian chess prodigy in a rematch.
- Regional elections in France have given Prime Minister Chirac something to worry about.
- Tony Blair, on the other hand, is a sure thing in the next election -- at least according to a computer simulation.
- A former Japanese Prime Minister is urging the Japanese government to help improve American/French relations.
- The government of Rwanda has put together a list of 300 people living outside the country who are suspected of playing a role in the 1994 genocide.
- Clashes between Maoist rebels and Nepalese government forces have left over 130 dead in recent days.
- President Bush has called on both sides of the Sudanese conflict to come to a peaceful resolution.
- Traditional New Year's celebrations in Afghanistan have left 4 people dead and over 100 injured as crowds crushed them while trying to enter shrines.
- The peace talks between tribal leaders in Somalia have run into some issues.
- An area in western Sudan known as Darfur is combating the worst humanitarian crisis since Rwanda.
- The BJP has declared their intent to ensure that India becomes one of the three major world powers by 2050.
- China and India are looking to boost their military ties.
- A French citizen has been caught by Australian authorities who believes he was attempting to conduct a terrorist attack against a nuclear installation or a US military base.
- Stephen Harper has won the leadership of the Canadian Conservative party, and so will be going up against Prime Minister Paul Martin in what could be an epic battle.
- A second seat has opening up on the Supreme Court of Canada.
- Slate asks if a one time unwanted sexual advance is really a feminist issue. Once you're done with that, you can go on to find out about the IPO of a Russian defence firm or the economics of faking an orgasm.
- Apparently 1/3 of Germans have cheated on their partner.
- If you're going to produce campaign apparel, you might want to ensure that they don't come from a country you currently have a trade embargo with.
- Virgin Airways has decided to scrap their plans for lip-shaped urinals. You have to check out the picture if nothing else.
- If the definition of marriage were up to the Bible, people (especially women) might not like all the results.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Some science news
Stop blogging for a couple of days and you get so far behind it's almost silly. In an attempt to catch up without staying up all night, I've quickly put together the science-related articles that I've come across in the past few days. Enjoy!
- A Guardian article about attempts to save the Vancouver Island Marmot that involved shooting six golden eagles.
- Canadian lynx, on the other hand, are having their genetics altered by climate change.
- Scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have found that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the major greenhouse gases, has reached a record high.
- ABC reports a group of scientists convinced that climate change, not global terrorism, is the greatest threat to Western civilization.
- Apparently the drink of choice for King Tut in the afterlife was red wine.
- Dailmer-Chrysler is testing a vibrating pedal system that could increase fuel efficiency by reminding you when your driving is unnecessarily using too much gas.
- The weapon that experts fear from terrorists turns out not to be pathogens or suitcase nukes, but fuel-air bombs.
- A company in Missouri has come up with a way to 'defuse' fertilizer from being useful to construct bombs like the one used in the Oklahoma City bombing.
- Physicists at the Hardon-Electron Ring Accelerator in Germany believe they have created a new massive subatomic particle.
- A new exhibit in England called Spaced Out will attempt to create the world's largest scale model of the solar system.
- Eating a lot of canned white tuna? You might want to reconsider due to a joint FDA/EPA warning about mercury levels in various fish, including shark and swordfish.
- The Washington Post published an article about the massive reaction to the news that the Hubble is going to be scrapped.
- NASA engineers have found a potentially disastrous flaw in the space shuttle's rudder that has been around for almost 20 years. Apparently it was installed backwards.
- A European-Chinese satellite is probing Earth's magnetic field, watching for how it interacts with solar flares.
- The central desert of Australia is so much like Mars in its terrain that an international group of scientists known as the Mars Society are planning to build a space research center there.
- The Mars rover is atop what NASA scientists believe was once the shore of a salty Martian sea.
- A very detailed picture of the heart of a comet was just taken by the NASA spacecraft Stardust.
- Paleoanthropologists believe they have found evidence showing that humans controlled fire up to 1.5 million years ago.
- Dutch scientists have uncovered a new coronovirus, a cousin to SARS that does not exhibit the pneumonia symptoms but is still a risk to younger patients and those with compromised immune systems.
- New gels may work to prevent people from contracting AIDS during sexual intercourse.
- As if you didn't have enough reasons not to smoke, new research shows that it can also cause brain decline in the elderly.
- An attempt to clone an extinct species by Australian scientists might be the first step towards the end of the idea of extinction.
- Research into the wings of Pterosaurs might influence the design of modern airplane wings.
- You only use 10% of your brain, right? Not really.
- In good news, the growth in world population is increasing at a decreasing rate.
- Home and Garden TV in Canada brings you 10 ways that you can recycle and reuse items that you might not otherwise think about.
- People in Western Canada apparently got a good view of a meteor coming to earth the other day.
- Heath Canada is organizing a pilot project in British Columbia that will make marijuana available in pharmacies. Apparently you can get 30 grams for $150, which at $5/gram is half the 'going' rate for a bulk buy.
- Western Australia at the same time has passed a law effectively decriminalizing marijuana.
- A Harvard University psychologist has theorized that dreams are more likely to be about subjects that we consciously block in the daytime.
- A Guardian article about attempts to save the Vancouver Island Marmot that involved shooting six golden eagles.
- Canadian lynx, on the other hand, are having their genetics altered by climate change.
- Scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have found that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the major greenhouse gases, has reached a record high.
- ABC reports a group of scientists convinced that climate change, not global terrorism, is the greatest threat to Western civilization.
- Apparently the drink of choice for King Tut in the afterlife was red wine.
- Dailmer-Chrysler is testing a vibrating pedal system that could increase fuel efficiency by reminding you when your driving is unnecessarily using too much gas.
- The weapon that experts fear from terrorists turns out not to be pathogens or suitcase nukes, but fuel-air bombs.
- A company in Missouri has come up with a way to 'defuse' fertilizer from being useful to construct bombs like the one used in the Oklahoma City bombing.
- Physicists at the Hardon-Electron Ring Accelerator in Germany believe they have created a new massive subatomic particle.
- A new exhibit in England called Spaced Out will attempt to create the world's largest scale model of the solar system.
- Eating a lot of canned white tuna? You might want to reconsider due to a joint FDA/EPA warning about mercury levels in various fish, including shark and swordfish.
- The Washington Post published an article about the massive reaction to the news that the Hubble is going to be scrapped.
- NASA engineers have found a potentially disastrous flaw in the space shuttle's rudder that has been around for almost 20 years. Apparently it was installed backwards.
- A European-Chinese satellite is probing Earth's magnetic field, watching for how it interacts with solar flares.
- The central desert of Australia is so much like Mars in its terrain that an international group of scientists known as the Mars Society are planning to build a space research center there.
- The Mars rover is atop what NASA scientists believe was once the shore of a salty Martian sea.
- A very detailed picture of the heart of a comet was just taken by the NASA spacecraft Stardust.
- Paleoanthropologists believe they have found evidence showing that humans controlled fire up to 1.5 million years ago.
- Dutch scientists have uncovered a new coronovirus, a cousin to SARS that does not exhibit the pneumonia symptoms but is still a risk to younger patients and those with compromised immune systems.
- New gels may work to prevent people from contracting AIDS during sexual intercourse.
- As if you didn't have enough reasons not to smoke, new research shows that it can also cause brain decline in the elderly.
- An attempt to clone an extinct species by Australian scientists might be the first step towards the end of the idea of extinction.
- Research into the wings of Pterosaurs might influence the design of modern airplane wings.
- You only use 10% of your brain, right? Not really.
- In good news, the growth in world population is increasing at a decreasing rate.
- Home and Garden TV in Canada brings you 10 ways that you can recycle and reuse items that you might not otherwise think about.
- People in Western Canada apparently got a good view of a meteor coming to earth the other day.
- Heath Canada is organizing a pilot project in British Columbia that will make marijuana available in pharmacies. Apparently you can get 30 grams for $150, which at $5/gram is half the 'going' rate for a bulk buy.
- Western Australia at the same time has passed a law effectively decriminalizing marijuana.
- A Harvard University psychologist has theorized that dreams are more likely to be about subjects that we consciously block in the daytime.
Saturday, March 20, 2004
Photoblogging
Featured on CBC Radio 3 last week, the site [daily dose of imagery] provides a new photograph every day. I also came across the webpage of Catherine Jamieson, who also has an excellent collection of photographs. Take some time to browse through them, it's worth while.
Friday, March 19, 2004
Whither good intelligence?
Less than a week after Spain announced that it will be removing its forces from Iraq, the President of one of the few countries that actually sent troops to Iraq, Poland, has issued a public statement declaring that his country was misled by the allegations of the imminent threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Despite this announcement, he maintained his commitment of 2 400 troops currently in Iraq. This, however, can't be good news for the overall credibility of the intelligence -- Japan is one of the few non-American countries still publicly announcing that WMDs will ultimately be found.
President Bush gave a speech urging the world to continue the fight (by which he meant 'his' fight) against terror today. I think the personalization of the issue is important, because as Slate notes, the administration is setting up the argument so that if you don't support their particular viewpoints on how to deal with terror, you're pro-terrorist and against America. As we come up to one year in Iraq, the administration's report card isn't a complete failure, but neither is it particularly good, with continued problems of nonfunctioning infrastructure and rampant violence. The French foreign minister has even announced that the world is worse off because of the war in Iraq due to this postwar violence and increase in terrorist activities.
Additional peacekeepers have now arrived in Kosovo from most of the major European powers in an attempt to quell the ongoing violence. UN staff were recently forced to pull out of a section of the town of Mitrovica after inter-ethnic clashes left 31 people dead. Mobs of angry Albanians have started burning Serbian Orthodox churches and the UN in response has condemed the violence, warning that any escalation of the conflict could have 'unpredictable consequences.' Deutsche Welle carries European newspaper reaction to the recent events.
Mel Gibson has announced that he is planning on making a movie about the Maccabe revolt, the event responsible for the celebrating of Hanukkah. His current film, The Passion, apparently caused a little too much debate among two moviegoers in Georgia, as a married couple each got charged with battery after a heated argument ensued after watching the film. The Passion has competition though, as the remake of Dawn of the Dead is expected to take the top spot at the box office this week.
There has been heated fighting along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as thousands of Pakistani troops attacked suspected al-Qaeda positions. The militants are reportedly trapped in their own hideout and it is suspected that the number two man in the al-Qaeda organization, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may be present with them. The Taliban has issued statements warning both the United States and Pakistan to halt the attacks or otherwise face reprisals.
Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf were honored by an NGO with the Common Ground International Diplomacy Award. India, in a small matter of bad timing, tested its new ground-to-ground Prithvi missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
European ministers are holding meetings to discuss Europe's response to the Spanish terrorist attacks. They have already agreed in principle already to appoint an 'Anti-Terrorism Czar' for the 15 member countries of the EU. Back in Spain, investigators announced that they have found material evidence linking one of the suspects to the terrorist attack.
- Scientists at NASA have come up with a theory explaining why the dustbowl happened.
- Archeologists have found evidence that ancient peoples in southern India used boulders to make music.
- Researchers at Oxford university have discovered that a woman's genes may cause the nicotine patch to be less effective.
- Scientists are worried that people eating bushmeat is exposing humans to simian foamy virus. Though the effects on humans are not known, HIV was thought to have originally spread in the same way.
- Scientists at the British Trust for Ornithology studying birds, butterflies and plants are theorizing that Earth is about to have its sixth great extinction.
- Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have developed a tiny elevator using nanotechnology.
- How NASCARS are made safer than normal automobiles.
- Researchers at St. Andrews University have found that African birds understand the calls of monkeys.
- With the vernal equinox coming up this weekend, I thought I'd post an article about it.
- A study at Bergen College has shown that girls learn much more from computers than boys do.
- One of the Mars rovers spots a meteor. Or is it a UFO??
- In the continuing violence in the Sudan, reports are now surfacing that as many as 100 woman were raped in a single attack by Arab militias.
- The Christian Science Monitor questions whether a Gaza Strip pullout is a good idea.
- The Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey have agreed to meet for talks on the reunification of Cyprus.
- The ruling LDP party in Japan has called for the ability for its military to attack foreign bases. The Japanese constitution after WWII allows only for the military to be defensive.
- The Nation compares Illinois senatorial candidate Barack Obama to a winning version of Howard Dean.
- Slate examines 'socialist' Prime Minister José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero.
- Slate also explains the origins of the phrase March Madness.
- The world might have another teenage chess prodigy.
- Republican senator John McCain has broken ranks with the president by rejecting the Bush campaign's assertions that national security would be jeopardized if John Kerry was president.
- The Campaign Desk talks about how non-major party candidates are completely marginalized in the presidential campaign.
President Bush gave a speech urging the world to continue the fight (by which he meant 'his' fight) against terror today. I think the personalization of the issue is important, because as Slate notes, the administration is setting up the argument so that if you don't support their particular viewpoints on how to deal with terror, you're pro-terrorist and against America. As we come up to one year in Iraq, the administration's report card isn't a complete failure, but neither is it particularly good, with continued problems of nonfunctioning infrastructure and rampant violence. The French foreign minister has even announced that the world is worse off because of the war in Iraq due to this postwar violence and increase in terrorist activities.
Additional peacekeepers have now arrived in Kosovo from most of the major European powers in an attempt to quell the ongoing violence. UN staff were recently forced to pull out of a section of the town of Mitrovica after inter-ethnic clashes left 31 people dead. Mobs of angry Albanians have started burning Serbian Orthodox churches and the UN in response has condemed the violence, warning that any escalation of the conflict could have 'unpredictable consequences.' Deutsche Welle carries European newspaper reaction to the recent events.
Mel Gibson has announced that he is planning on making a movie about the Maccabe revolt, the event responsible for the celebrating of Hanukkah. His current film, The Passion, apparently caused a little too much debate among two moviegoers in Georgia, as a married couple each got charged with battery after a heated argument ensued after watching the film. The Passion has competition though, as the remake of Dawn of the Dead is expected to take the top spot at the box office this week.
There has been heated fighting along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as thousands of Pakistani troops attacked suspected al-Qaeda positions. The militants are reportedly trapped in their own hideout and it is suspected that the number two man in the al-Qaeda organization, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may be present with them. The Taliban has issued statements warning both the United States and Pakistan to halt the attacks or otherwise face reprisals.
Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf were honored by an NGO with the Common Ground International Diplomacy Award. India, in a small matter of bad timing, tested its new ground-to-ground Prithvi missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
European ministers are holding meetings to discuss Europe's response to the Spanish terrorist attacks. They have already agreed in principle already to appoint an 'Anti-Terrorism Czar' for the 15 member countries of the EU. Back in Spain, investigators announced that they have found material evidence linking one of the suspects to the terrorist attack.
- Scientists at NASA have come up with a theory explaining why the dustbowl happened.
- Archeologists have found evidence that ancient peoples in southern India used boulders to make music.
- Researchers at Oxford university have discovered that a woman's genes may cause the nicotine patch to be less effective.
- Scientists are worried that people eating bushmeat is exposing humans to simian foamy virus. Though the effects on humans are not known, HIV was thought to have originally spread in the same way.
- Scientists at the British Trust for Ornithology studying birds, butterflies and plants are theorizing that Earth is about to have its sixth great extinction.
- Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have developed a tiny elevator using nanotechnology.
- How NASCARS are made safer than normal automobiles.
- Researchers at St. Andrews University have found that African birds understand the calls of monkeys.
- With the vernal equinox coming up this weekend, I thought I'd post an article about it.
- A study at Bergen College has shown that girls learn much more from computers than boys do.
- One of the Mars rovers spots a meteor. Or is it a UFO??
- In the continuing violence in the Sudan, reports are now surfacing that as many as 100 woman were raped in a single attack by Arab militias.
- The Christian Science Monitor questions whether a Gaza Strip pullout is a good idea.
- The Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey have agreed to meet for talks on the reunification of Cyprus.
- The ruling LDP party in Japan has called for the ability for its military to attack foreign bases. The Japanese constitution after WWII allows only for the military to be defensive.
- The Nation compares Illinois senatorial candidate Barack Obama to a winning version of Howard Dean.
- Slate examines 'socialist' Prime Minister José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero.
- Slate also explains the origins of the phrase March Madness.
- The world might have another teenage chess prodigy.
- Republican senator John McCain has broken ranks with the president by rejecting the Bush campaign's assertions that national security would be jeopardized if John Kerry was president.
- The Campaign Desk talks about how non-major party candidates are completely marginalized in the presidential campaign.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
The transatlantic rift
There have been five new arrests in the Spanish bombing case, bringing the total number of arrests to 11. A hearing is being held today to determine whether the current detainees can be held until trial or be allowed to post bail. In America, senior Republican Dennis Hastart has accused Spain of appeasing terrorists through its announcement to withdraw troops from Iraq, although the Economist disagrees with this assessment, stating that the truth of what happened is much more complicated. John Kerry has also stepped into the debate by personally asking Spain not to withdraw their troops. This ongoing debate only highlights the fundamental differences between the United States and Europe on how to deal with terrorism, leading to a rising dissent for global American policies. The Canadian government has repeated its commitment not to send troops to Iraq, even if Spain pulls out, as both countries are waiting on the United States to turn over power to the United Nations. All of this comes after a bomb hit a central Baghdad hotel yesterday killing at least 10 people.
In presidential election news, Vice President Cheney has come out swinging against Kerry, stating that the Democratic candidate could not be trusted on foreign policy issues. Slate details how the Atlantic believes Missouri is going to be the bellwether state for the 2004 election. Salon writes extensively on how the Bush campaign is intentionally distorting Kerry's words. Finally Rumsfeld gets hammered on Face the Nation over denying that he called Iraq an 'immanent threat.'
There has been a lot of action in Saudi Arabia lately as petitioners interested in forming a human rights group were arrested and jailed. Authorities then jailed a lawyer for criticizing the arrest of several top intellectuals. The government has also suspended 900 local religious officials for negligence, although the real reason seems to be to curb Islamic extremism.
Kosovo is having problems again, as 8 people are killed and over 200 wounded in the worst violence since the United Nations took over in 1999 -- the violence stemmed from the drowning of two Albanian children that was blamed on the Serbs. NATO has been quick to announce reinforcements to existing troops to ensure that the violence doesn't spread further. The Economist has published an article that provides an overview to the recent problems leading to the violence.
In ironic news, the Tennessee county made famous by the Scopes Monkey Trial that decided whether schools could teach evolution is back in the news attempting to enact an ordinance banning homosexuals from living in the county. The New York Times, on the other hand, offers a perspective on how formerly banned interracial marriages can lend us some perspective in the same-sex marriage debate.
- A 25-meter asteroid is about to make the closest approach to Earth by an asteroid on record.
- Astronomers have figured out where all the gamma ray radiation in the galaxy is coming from.
- Greenpeace activists raided a ship carrying timber from Indonesian rainforests to protest the logging and endangerment of species living there.
- What do you need to make ultra-thin high-performance semi-conductors? Apparently rocket fuel.
- A new hormone-blocking drug may prevent breast cancer patients from needing a mastectomy.
- Taking a queue from HIV treatment, scientists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have found that using a combination drug therapy on cancer may treat cases previously resistant to standard methods.
- A molecular biologist at Pieta Research in Edinburgh has theorized that without the moon, there would have been no life on Earth.
- Two anthropologists at the University College London have speculated that human culture arose in large part as a way to control vital resources.
- El Nino has been blamed for many things in the recent past. Now some researchers are theorizing that it had a large effect during the last ice age.
- Also on the topic of ice ages, scientists in France and the US have speculated that the original breakup of the continents was responsible for global ice ages that would have covered the earth with ice almost to the equator 800 and 550 million years ago.
- NASA has developed a system that connects to the nerves in your throat, letting them know what you are going to say before you actually say it.
- The IAEA has come to an agreement with the US on creating new rules to curb nuclear proliferation.
- More than 60 people have been killed in clashes between Ugandan and Sudanese villagers.
- The government of Alberta is scheduled to completely pay off its debts this year.
- Speaking of money, the Bank of Canada has issued a new $100 bill with new security features.
- The Christian Science Monitor has published a story on why it is so difficult to find bin Laden.
- The Economist talks about future plans for the American military.
- The Village Voice published an article about how my generation is going to be crushed by debt.
- An Islamist trial in France is showing how intricate the web of terrorist cells really are.
- An exhibition featuring nudity has been deemed not fit for display in Darwin's parliament house.
- Are you a woman continually confused by men? A new book may help you by categorizing us into 27 different subsets.
- Salon asks whether hip-hop is killing poetry.
In presidential election news, Vice President Cheney has come out swinging against Kerry, stating that the Democratic candidate could not be trusted on foreign policy issues. Slate details how the Atlantic believes Missouri is going to be the bellwether state for the 2004 election. Salon writes extensively on how the Bush campaign is intentionally distorting Kerry's words. Finally Rumsfeld gets hammered on Face the Nation over denying that he called Iraq an 'immanent threat.'
There has been a lot of action in Saudi Arabia lately as petitioners interested in forming a human rights group were arrested and jailed. Authorities then jailed a lawyer for criticizing the arrest of several top intellectuals. The government has also suspended 900 local religious officials for negligence, although the real reason seems to be to curb Islamic extremism.
Kosovo is having problems again, as 8 people are killed and over 200 wounded in the worst violence since the United Nations took over in 1999 -- the violence stemmed from the drowning of two Albanian children that was blamed on the Serbs. NATO has been quick to announce reinforcements to existing troops to ensure that the violence doesn't spread further. The Economist has published an article that provides an overview to the recent problems leading to the violence.
In ironic news, the Tennessee county made famous by the Scopes Monkey Trial that decided whether schools could teach evolution is back in the news attempting to enact an ordinance banning homosexuals from living in the county. The New York Times, on the other hand, offers a perspective on how formerly banned interracial marriages can lend us some perspective in the same-sex marriage debate.
- A 25-meter asteroid is about to make the closest approach to Earth by an asteroid on record.
- Astronomers have figured out where all the gamma ray radiation in the galaxy is coming from.
- Greenpeace activists raided a ship carrying timber from Indonesian rainforests to protest the logging and endangerment of species living there.
- What do you need to make ultra-thin high-performance semi-conductors? Apparently rocket fuel.
- A new hormone-blocking drug may prevent breast cancer patients from needing a mastectomy.
- Taking a queue from HIV treatment, scientists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have found that using a combination drug therapy on cancer may treat cases previously resistant to standard methods.
- A molecular biologist at Pieta Research in Edinburgh has theorized that without the moon, there would have been no life on Earth.
- Two anthropologists at the University College London have speculated that human culture arose in large part as a way to control vital resources.
- El Nino has been blamed for many things in the recent past. Now some researchers are theorizing that it had a large effect during the last ice age.
- Also on the topic of ice ages, scientists in France and the US have speculated that the original breakup of the continents was responsible for global ice ages that would have covered the earth with ice almost to the equator 800 and 550 million years ago.
- NASA has developed a system that connects to the nerves in your throat, letting them know what you are going to say before you actually say it.
- The IAEA has come to an agreement with the US on creating new rules to curb nuclear proliferation.
- More than 60 people have been killed in clashes between Ugandan and Sudanese villagers.
- The government of Alberta is scheduled to completely pay off its debts this year.
- Speaking of money, the Bank of Canada has issued a new $100 bill with new security features.
- The Christian Science Monitor has published a story on why it is so difficult to find bin Laden.
- The Economist talks about future plans for the American military.
- The Village Voice published an article about how my generation is going to be crushed by debt.
- An Islamist trial in France is showing how intricate the web of terrorist cells really are.
- An exhibition featuring nudity has been deemed not fit for display in Darwin's parliament house.
- Are you a woman continually confused by men? A new book may help you by categorizing us into 27 different subsets.
- Salon asks whether hip-hop is killing poetry.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Lies and incompetence
As the investigation over the Madrid bombings continues, the former government of Jose Maria Aznar is looking increasingly worse as both mistakes and deception before and after the bombing are now surfacing. According to a Spanish newspaper, the government committed several errors in its intelligence gathering and did not capitalize on opportunities to prevent the attacks. After the attacks, the government of Mr. Zapatero intentionally spread disinformation about the bombings from their allies in Europe that blamed ETA for the attacks. Meanwhile, investigations are now pointing at the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam as the prime suspect.
Prime Minister-elect Zapatero announced that he has spoken to George Bush about the troops, but will not change his position on their withdrawal, stating, "My position is the same. I have explained it throughout the election campaign ... Fighting terrorism with bombs and Tomahawk missiles is not a way to win but will instead provoke more extremism. Terrorism is fought with the rule of law, international law, and with intelligence services." You've probably heard the commentators talk about how the election of the Socialists is a victory for the terrorists, and might spurn further attacks, but as the Christian Science Monitor points out, it has been historically difficult to judge the reaction of the public to a terrorist attacks, so future attacks might backfire on those committing them. However, declaring preemptive unilateral war against a country seems to have a fairly uniform effect, as a recent poll has shown that the War on Iraq has seriously damaged American credibility in European and Muslim countries. To make matters a little worse, a congressional report tallies up 237 misleading public statements made by Bush and his four top advisors on the threat posed by Iraq.
A poll taken last week shows that Nader is adversely affecting Kerry's numbers, but since we're a long way out, I wouldn't worry all that much. John Kerry did make it official as his win in Illinois yesterday technically gave him the majority of the delegates at the Democratic convention. To commemorate the event, the Bush campaign released another attack ad on Kerry once again playing him as weak on defense. Slate has a critique and link to the actual ads posted, as well as those by the Kerry campaign.
The government of France has received a letter threatening to plunge France into "terror and remorse" but according to French intelligence it does not match the style of known Islamic extremists. The group repeatedly mentions the new ban on headscarves and other religious paraphernalia as a primary motivation. Germany has announced plans to overhaul its domestic intelligence services in the wake of the attacks.
Despite being open in America for several weeks now, The Passion continues to make news, mostly because it is just opening in other countries like Germany now, where they are now going through the same controversy as with the American opening. I know that people are concerned with young people emulating shows like Jackass, but I never thought this movie would be put on the list -- a 23-year-old man is being treated in a Maine hospital for attempting to commit suicide by crucifixion. I know this is somewhat serious, but I sort of had to laugh when I read this part:
Lt. Pierre Boucher said the man took two pieces of wood, nailed them together in the form of a cross and placed them on the floor. He attached a suicide sign to the wood and then proceeded to nail one of his hands to the makeshift cross using a 14-penny nail and a hammer.
"When he realized that he was unable to nail his other hand to the board, he called 911," Boucher said.
- A research team at the Marie Curie Research Institute have found a way to differentiate melanomas that spread from ones that don't.
- Scientists at the European breast cancer conference have announced that a new test of the disease could be out soon. They have also announced the results of a study showing that breast cancer hits younger women harder than older women.
- With all the debate over whether Sedna is or isn't a planet, the International Astronomy Union is looking into a working definition of 'planet,' but until that time they have declared that Sedna is not one.
- Physicists at the University of Otago have found that last November's solar flare was almost twice the size that was originally reported.
- The German government has come to a consensus with industry on how to allocate carbon credits under the emissions trading system.
- Toshiba has set the world record for the world's smallest hard drive with a size of 0.85 inches. They are designed to hold up to 4 gigabytes of information.
- Utah removed the option of a firing squad in its capital punishment cases. It still retains capital punishment by lethal injection.
- Britain has just tabled their budget, and although I'm sure you're eager to hear about the increase to NHS funding, I have here a list of interesting budgetary facts instead.
- German president Johnnes Rau is in the middle of an eight-day tour promoting human rights in Africa.
- Colin Powell has pledged continued American commitment to Afghanistan.
- Fighting continues meanwhile on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- An overview of the eight major trends in American journalism.
- Norway's parliament, the Stortling, is considering legalizing same-sex marriage. They currently have a partnership law that grants same-sex couples many of the rights of heterosexual ones.
- A recent poll shows that 51% of Americans favor civil unions for same-sex couples.
- Looking for buried treasure? Why not take a trip to Nova Scotia?
- Google local is now active. This could make ordering pizza so much easier.
- A list of the 100 most often mispronounced words in English.
- Don't believe in astrology? Check out the reverse astrology site to see if you actually match your sign. Mine came out correctly, therefore it must be correct, right?
- Remember the woman who tried to cash the $1 million bill? Here she is.
I wrote in my last post about how Spanish Muslims were afraid of the repercussions that could arise from the terrorist attacks. This, however, is not what I had in mind.
Prime Minister-elect Zapatero announced that he has spoken to George Bush about the troops, but will not change his position on their withdrawal, stating, "My position is the same. I have explained it throughout the election campaign ... Fighting terrorism with bombs and Tomahawk missiles is not a way to win but will instead provoke more extremism. Terrorism is fought with the rule of law, international law, and with intelligence services." You've probably heard the commentators talk about how the election of the Socialists is a victory for the terrorists, and might spurn further attacks, but as the Christian Science Monitor points out, it has been historically difficult to judge the reaction of the public to a terrorist attacks, so future attacks might backfire on those committing them. However, declaring preemptive unilateral war against a country seems to have a fairly uniform effect, as a recent poll has shown that the War on Iraq has seriously damaged American credibility in European and Muslim countries. To make matters a little worse, a congressional report tallies up 237 misleading public statements made by Bush and his four top advisors on the threat posed by Iraq.
A poll taken last week shows that Nader is adversely affecting Kerry's numbers, but since we're a long way out, I wouldn't worry all that much. John Kerry did make it official as his win in Illinois yesterday technically gave him the majority of the delegates at the Democratic convention. To commemorate the event, the Bush campaign released another attack ad on Kerry once again playing him as weak on defense. Slate has a critique and link to the actual ads posted, as well as those by the Kerry campaign.
The government of France has received a letter threatening to plunge France into "terror and remorse" but according to French intelligence it does not match the style of known Islamic extremists. The group repeatedly mentions the new ban on headscarves and other religious paraphernalia as a primary motivation. Germany has announced plans to overhaul its domestic intelligence services in the wake of the attacks.
Despite being open in America for several weeks now, The Passion continues to make news, mostly because it is just opening in other countries like Germany now, where they are now going through the same controversy as with the American opening. I know that people are concerned with young people emulating shows like Jackass, but I never thought this movie would be put on the list -- a 23-year-old man is being treated in a Maine hospital for attempting to commit suicide by crucifixion. I know this is somewhat serious, but I sort of had to laugh when I read this part:
Lt. Pierre Boucher said the man took two pieces of wood, nailed them together in the form of a cross and placed them on the floor. He attached a suicide sign to the wood and then proceeded to nail one of his hands to the makeshift cross using a 14-penny nail and a hammer.
"When he realized that he was unable to nail his other hand to the board, he called 911," Boucher said.
- A research team at the Marie Curie Research Institute have found a way to differentiate melanomas that spread from ones that don't.
- Scientists at the European breast cancer conference have announced that a new test of the disease could be out soon. They have also announced the results of a study showing that breast cancer hits younger women harder than older women.
- With all the debate over whether Sedna is or isn't a planet, the International Astronomy Union is looking into a working definition of 'planet,' but until that time they have declared that Sedna is not one.
- Physicists at the University of Otago have found that last November's solar flare was almost twice the size that was originally reported.
- The German government has come to a consensus with industry on how to allocate carbon credits under the emissions trading system.
- Toshiba has set the world record for the world's smallest hard drive with a size of 0.85 inches. They are designed to hold up to 4 gigabytes of information.
- Utah removed the option of a firing squad in its capital punishment cases. It still retains capital punishment by lethal injection.
- Britain has just tabled their budget, and although I'm sure you're eager to hear about the increase to NHS funding, I have here a list of interesting budgetary facts instead.
- German president Johnnes Rau is in the middle of an eight-day tour promoting human rights in Africa.
- Colin Powell has pledged continued American commitment to Afghanistan.
- Fighting continues meanwhile on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- An overview of the eight major trends in American journalism.
- Norway's parliament, the Stortling, is considering legalizing same-sex marriage. They currently have a partnership law that grants same-sex couples many of the rights of heterosexual ones.
- A recent poll shows that 51% of Americans favor civil unions for same-sex couples.
- Looking for buried treasure? Why not take a trip to Nova Scotia?
- Google local is now active. This could make ordering pizza so much easier.
- A list of the 100 most often mispronounced words in English.
- Don't believe in astrology? Check out the reverse astrology site to see if you actually match your sign. Mine came out correctly, therefore it must be correct, right?
- Remember the woman who tried to cash the $1 million bill? Here she is.
I wrote in my last post about how Spanish Muslims were afraid of the repercussions that could arise from the terrorist attacks. This, however, is not what I had in mind.
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