Taking the good with the bad

In Afghanistan, Afghan forces aided by American air power killed up to 20 Taliban in a round of attacks in the southern mountains. Similar success occurred in Iraq, with the media reporting a very large number of insurgents killed in urban Shiite areas. Various news outlets are reporting that army whistle-blowers are getting reprimanded in various ways, including losing their security clearance and being detained in a psychiatric ward for two weeks. In good news though, a deal has been tentatively reached between Iraq's Governing Council and cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who offered to withdraw from the holy city of Najaf. Unfortunately, the man that the coalition hoped would be the leader of Iraq's new interim government has declined the position.

The occupying countries are apparently having difficulty coming to a consensus about how much control the Iraqi interim government should have. Meanwhile coalition diplomats are attempting to gather support for their UN Security Council resolution on Iraq's future. China has put a counterproposal on the table that would allow the Iraqi government to determine whether coalition troops will be able to stay and give them authority over military operations in the country after June 30th. Needless to say, the United States isn't thrilled about the idea of having its troops potentially under the command of another government. It's still unclear how the government situation will work out in the long run, with the AP wondering whether the Islamist city of Fallujah will be a model for Iraq's political future. Kos points to a Wall Street Journal article on how, despite the language of a political turnover, not much will change in Iraq come July 1st.

Amnesty International has issued its 2004 annual report in which it criticizes the 'war on terror' as being "bankrupt of vision and bereft of principle," in addition to decrying the current human rights situation in Africa. On the other side of the political fence though of a similar tone, the International Institute for Strategic studies has published a report declaring that the occupation of Iraq has made the world less safe, mostly due to the increasing diffusion of global counterterrorism activities and swelling ranks of al-Qaeda caused by the occupation in Iraq. This might account for the recent announcement by John Ashcroft of the serious potential for a terrorist attack in the coming months -- though there was no information about the date, time or method of any attack. The story rightly points out that even though this sounds like a rather ominous warning it really contained no useful information. The terror attack level was not raised, which makes me (and probably many others) wonder how much of this is for political benefit, especially after suggestions that a summer terrorist attack on the United States is hoped by al-Qaeda to have the same effect as the Madrid bombings had on the Spanish, who according to this theory tossed their pro-Iraqi war government in reaction to the attack. However, this message works twofold, since reading between the lines lies the idea, "a vote in general for the Democrats is a vote for al-Qaeda and the forces of terror." This seems to forget that the conservative government in Spain was not defeated solely from a reaction to the Madrid terrorist attacks, but because they were presumably freaked out by the political ramifications of the al-Qaeda attack and deliberately lied to the populace by saying that ETA was responsible instead of al-Qaeda which, needless to say, pissed off a whole lot of people already upset by the attacks when the truth came out only a couple of days before the election.

In response to the Mayor of Begles' statement that he would conduct same sex marriages, French provincial authorities in Bordeaux have ordered him to abandon his plans to marry a gay couple next week. On the other side of the world, Conservative Prime Minister John Howard of Australia is going to amend federal law limiting the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman.

In brief:
- An article on the birth places of quasars.
- A trial SARS vaccine is showing positive results.
- Scientists are also coming close to a treatment for motor neuron disease.
- The Atlantic deals with the Day After Tomorrow's ideas concerning global warming/cooling.
- Apparently proteins and raindrops have more in common than you would think, assuming you've ever really thought about that.
- British scientists are looking to design quiet aircraft.
- Israel is laying claim to 4/5 of the water supply in the West Bank.
- As if Africa didn't have enough problems, now swarms of locusts are causing serious agricultural issues.
- General Musharraf of Pakistan had an attempt on his life foiled last December.
- The now hardline Iranian parliament has had its opening session.
- The CSM talking about Mr. Stability, aka Vladimir Putin.
- India's government has reached a consensus on its future agenda with the Communist parties.
- The New York Times has admitted that its pre-war coverage of Iraq was not as rigorous as it should have been, failing to adequately question the intelligence showing WMDs or the credibility of Iraqi defectors.
- If Bush is blowing so bad, why does it seem like John Kerry is spinning his wheels?
- Campaign stops are proving to be more advantageous to candidates than television commercials.
- A website of video interviews with distinguished global thinkers and leaders.
- A NYT article on blogging.
- A PDF report from the military's Strategic Studies Institute comparing Iraq and Vietnam.

And since we already talked about the recent Ashcroft announcement, I thought I'd include this, courtesy of The Atlantic.

George Bush gave his big speech about the future of Iraq last night. I enjoyed the positive spin he gave towards co-operation with the militias, which was essentially forced on them, and the UN support that he mentioned, since the United States has so much political capital with other nations these days. Slate outlines better than I could the other 'issues' with the speech. His calls to tear down the Abu Ghraib prison sounded good, but were apparently not met with much enthusiasm in Iraq itself. Bush needs to get a bounce from this appearance, as the polling on his handling of Iraq has reached an all-time low.

An explosion rocked the main public entrance to the coalition compound in Baghdad yesterday. American forces and loyalists of Moqtada al-Sadr continue to clash in Kufa, with the United States claiming to have killed 32 insurgents over the weekend, 20 of whom were killed in a Mosque. Fighting also continued in nearby Kufa. There are still persistent stories though that the US and al-Sadr might be close to a deal.

More photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse continue to surface including some videos. Though Donald Rumsfeld has issued an order banning the use of camera phones in American military institutions, it won't stop the stories of the victims from coming out. There are also new reports that the highest-ranking American military officer, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, was present at some of the interrogations, though the military denies these accusations. Though Spc. Jeremy Sivits was given the maximum sentence possible for his role in the abuse, the Iraqis see it as more of a show trial than actual justice. Susan Sontag writes a lengthy article in the Guardian about what this all means, Slate continues its analysis of how this could have happened, the Atlantic examines the philosophy behind the abuse, and the Christian Science Monitor reports how events in Iraq are making democratization in the Middle East more difficult. Further undermining the idea of sovereignty for Iraq after June 30th is the recent announcement that coalition forces will have immunity from prosecution over any allegations of mistreatment by the new government. A video reportedly showing revelers at the Iraqi wedding before it was bombed has been released.

Canada is going to the polls June 28th, as Prime Minister Paul Martin visited the Governor General to dissolve Parliament on Sunday. Martin's Liberals started off the campaign by promising $3 billion dollars for healthcare to the provinces, while Jack Layton of the NDP threw an election party. Polls indicate that the Liberal's have a tough fight ahead of them to win another majority government, but overall, the election is really Paul Martin's to loose.

Manmohan Singh has been selected a India's new Prime Minister, the first Sikh and first non-Hindu to ever to hold that position. The Congress party has also divied out the new cabinet positions.

Massachusetts has legalized same-sex marriages, and it didn't take long for most news sources to weigh in -- Slate looks at how same-sex marriage has effected Scandinavia and the Atlantic argues that banning same-sex marriage is riskier than implementing it. The Christian Science Monitor reports that historically, once instituted, same-sex marriage usually gains general acceptance, but the Economist believes that this may just be the beginning of a long and protracted fight between rights activists and social conservatives. In Canada, however, things are different, with a recent poll showing that almost 60% of Canadians believe that being homophobic is as bad as being racist or anti-Semitic, and 74% believe that homosexuals should have the same rights as heterosexuals. Back in the states though, a group of conservative Christians are so outraged by the event that they are planning on taking over a state in order to sucede from the Union and create a Christian nation. I love the quote from the leader of the group, "Our Christian republic has declined into a pagan democracy," only because he probably honestly thinks that there must be some hidden Wicca majority out there, not to mention the way he contrasts 'republic' as positive but 'democracy' as negative.

Michael Moore Fahrenheit 9/11 has won the highest prize, the Palme D'or, at the Cannes Film Festival. Judging panel spokesperson Quentin Tarantino has already stated that the film was judged on its artistic merit and was not politically motivated. The New York Times believes though that it will have a political impact when released in the United States. In other Cannes highlights, a 14-year-old Japanese boy was the surprise winner of the best actor award.

Sure John Kerry is a veteran, but does that necessarily mean that they will vote for their brother in arms? Hopefully he'll be doing better with them than he is currently doing with white males. Bush supporters have recently attempted to Google-bomb Kerry by linking the word 'waffles' to his website, but their efforts will be somewhat wasted with the Kerry campaign's plan to buy ad space on Google with the same word. On this note, miserable failure still works. Also, we hear a great deal about Nader siphoning votes away from Kerry, but CBS points out that the same problem could be possible on the right wing.

In brief:
- Astronomers have discovered an asteroid with the smallest known orbit around the sun.
- Observations made by the orbiting Chandra X-Ray telescope have confirmed the existence of dark energy.
- The Atlantic features an article about Brian Greene, author of books that make universal forces in physics understandable.
- US scientists are going to conduct an underground nuclear experiment at the Nevada test site today.
- Spam now accounts for 70% of email messages.
- Researchers at the University of South Wales have announced a formula to explain how music can convey certain emotions.
- A 76-year-old Norwegian industrialist is giving $100 million in grants to solve what he sees as the world's largest scientific questions.
- Climate change might cause shortages in fresh water supplies.
- A new center in the United Kingdom is looking for alternatives to animal experimentation.
- The cicadas are coming, which could be a boon for both their natural predators and for humans as an appetizer.
- According to geologists, Canada is on its way up in the world, while the United States is going down.
- If you are a hypochondriac, here are two stories you might not want to read: a new strain of Ebola is found in Sudan and the resurrection of the Black Death might be just around the corner.
- A public research think-tank is warning the Australian government of possible trade sanctions by signatories if it does not ratify the Kyoto agreement.
- Six people have been killed as part of the roof of Charles de Gaulle airport collapses.
- Iran is apparently threatening diplomatic and trade sanctions against Australia as well, although it's unlikely to have the same effect.
- On a positive side, it did get it's first non-cleric Speaker since the revolution.
- The Commonwealth has readmitted Pakistan after four years of being banned because of positive democratic reforms.
- North Korea and Japan are holding talks in an attempt to quell the tensions over North Korea's nuclear program.
- Oxfam, concered with the escalating humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan, is sending more staff and aid to the region.
- 240 people are missing in the sinking of a ferry in Bangladesh.
- The tides may have turned in ethnic clashes in Kosovo, but not for the better.
- Although it wasn't a 'sudden arboreal stop' like in the West Wing, President Bush did injure himself falling off of a mountain bike this weekend.
- In a strange twist, a government witness is being charged with perjury in the Martha Stewart trial.
- The Atlantic examines the historical impact of neo-conservative international thinkers.
- The mayor of London, Glen Livingstone, has described motorists in London with four wheel drive vehicles as "complete idiots."
- Wal-Mart stores are putting unneeded strain on small-town police forces.
- The French health system is in need of an overhaul.
- A strange story involving a lost Stradivarius.
- David is now all cleaned up.
- A webpage of webcams.
- A very interesting piece on the economics of Everquest.
- Roy Moore, everyone's favorite Christian conservative, apparently thinks he can copywrite the ten commandments.
- The Mossad has launched a new site for recruiting. Anyone looking to be an Israeli spy?
- A humorous story about the RAF's 'pigeons of death.'

Finally, scientists studying a volcano in New Zealand have come across something they never expected to find - a pink dinosaur living in the crater. Apparently someone went to the uninhabited island and placed it in front of the digital camera that monitors the volcano. Scientists are not expected to retrieve the item, stating that the high acid environment should take care of it nicely. However, until then:

Fundamentalists in the White House

In case you're wondering how your foreign policy is made, I just came across a great article in the Village Voice about the role and influence of Christian Fundamentalists in the White House. It's rather scary to think that Israel policy is based off of ensuring the conditions of Jesus' return.

Google Deskbar

This is the next need to have program for your computer: the Google Deskbar. It installs beside your clock and other icons in your deskbar, and allows you to conduct searches, even open other webpages, without even opening your internet browser. You should seriously check it out.

Chomping at the bit

Right wing news organizations are almost losing their heads over reports that sarin gas was released in a warhead that exploded yesterday. Don't you see? This means that weapons of mass destruction do exist!! One small reminder: one sarin gas shell, or even a mustard gas shell that they also reportedly found, does not exactly constitute "an imminent threat to the United States," and doesn't quite make up for the mess that has followed. And speaking of said mess, the assassination of the head of Iraq's Governing Council according to the Washington Post has only deepened the sense of pessimism in the country over what the future holds. More allegations are coming out of the incidents at Abu Ghraib, with an Army investigator telling reporters that intelligence officers were responsible for the order to strip the Iraqi prisoners naked before questioning. The State Department has released its annual human rights report that was delayed over the allegations of torture in Iraq and the Atlantic Monthly published a lengthy article on what it calls "the dark art of interrogation." Nick Berg doesn't seem to be disappearing anytime soon, with some people wondering about the validity of the whole incident.

Sonia Gandhi has turned down the post of India's Prime Minister. It is believed that opposition from fundamentalist Hindu groups and family concerns over her life were her main reasons for the decision.

In brief:
- The first amateur rocket has been launched successfully into space.
- The Atkins diet got some credibility today, as two studies found that weight loss was the greatest when following a low-carb rather than low-fat diet. It would have been more legit had the studies not been funded by the Robert C Atkins Foundation though.
- The acceptance or failure of the Kyoto treaty is now all up to Russia.
- King Abdullah of Jordan has openly suggested that Yasser Arafat step down from his position.
- The Pope is celebrating his 84th birthday today.
- The 2012 Olympics finalists features some heavy hitters: London, Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow.
- Britain's Labour government is looking to curb even futher the powers of the House of Lords in its next election manifesto.
- Two reviews of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911, one from the Guardian, the other from the BBC.
- A great Washington Post story about the personal decision made by a same-sex couple in Massachusetts on whether to become formally married.
- Kos notes Bush's recent praise for activist judges.
- Slate looks at the similarities between the Harry Potter and Left Behind series.

Finally, you've got to love this one: a highly religious German couple in their 30s who had been married for eight years but remained childless came to a fertility clinic wondering why they were not having children. After conducting a barrage of tests that found both completely fertile, the doctors finally ascertained that the childlessness was due to the fact that neither person knew that you had to have sex in order to procreate. Guess all that abstinence-only training went a little too far.

Coalition troops have made it clear that they will leave the country if asked by the new Iraqi government when power is transferred in June. For now though, they continue to come into confrontation with the supporters of Moqtada al Sadr. Random violence continues, with the shelling of an Iraqi marketplace and a reported shell explosion containing the nerve gas serin. Senators are becoming increasingly upset about the new $25 billion package the President put before them for Iraq and Afghanistan operations, stating that some of the bill is exceptionally vague in detailing what the money will be used for. The Economist posts an article on how the lack of peace is making reconstruction efforts exceptionally difficult and the Christian Science Monitor published a story on how the recent allegations of prisoner abuse will only further alienate Europe, and therefore NATO, from getting involved in Iraq.

Colin Powell is the latest Bush administration official to step forward and apologize for the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, which is interesting, because recent allegations point towards Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as the brain behind the interrogations, though the Pentagon has denied this accusation. The Guardian Observer has revealed the existence of dozens of videotapes reportedly showing American guards violently attacking prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay facility.

Sonia Gandhi has yet to form an official government in India with left wing parties holding their support, but has already promised a more secular ruling style than the Hindu fundamentalism of the BJP and continued effort towards peace with Pakistan. The stock market has already taken a plunge over the idea that communist parties could be actively involved in the government coalition. Both the Guardian and the New York Times provide a background into the Gandhi dynasty in Indian political life, which may explain why her family fears for her life.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court has rejected the last effort to prevent same-sex marriage from being illegal in the state, leading to an influx of out-of-state couples flying into the state to have the ceremony performed. The first couple was married at 12:01 this morning. The New York Times published an article about how those campaigning to ban same-sex marriage are disappointed with the lack of response from ordinary churchgoers.

Michael Moore is accusing the White House of using its influence to try and block his film from screening before the November election, which may be in part because it reportedly contains the first footage of Iraqi prisoner abuse, not to mention the effect that it could have on the electorate.

In brief:
- An article on how to test for parallel universes in the safety of your own home.
- There's no need to worry about the flipping of the Earth's magnetic field -- apparently the solar wind will protect us in the interim.
- Archaeologists may have found the ruins of the great library at Alexandria.
- There's a little more evidence that an asteroid impact led to the global extinction 250 million years ago. Some scientists are still concerned over our ability to prevent it from happening again.
- National Geographic posts a story about rust-eating bacteria used in environmental cleanups.
- If global warming proceeds at its current rate, Greenland's ice sheet will begin to melt, possibly swamping coastal cities.
- High gas prices have yet to effect people's driving habits.
- The UN reports that genetically modified crops may help the cause of world hunger.
- Popular Science looks at the future of technology in warfare.
- The Council on American Islamic Relations has issued a petition attempting to disassociate Islam from the violent acts committed in its name.
- Burma's opposition party has refused to take part in a constitutional convention hosted by the military government over the government's refusal to free its party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
- The pope has canonized six new saints, including a pro-life Italian woman who died after refusing treatment for cancer that would have terminated her pregnancy.
- The Iranian film that poked fun at the ruling religious establishment has been officially withdrawn by the producers under pressure from authorities.
- Turkey may pass a law allowing graduates of religious schools to enter university.
- Some in the Democratic party are still holding out for McCain as VP.
- The NRA has refused to endorse Bush until he non-renews the ban on assault weapons.
- More media outlets are floating the idea that this year's election might be a rout.
- How do you choose an actress to portray Helen, who's beauty launched 1000 ships?
- A die-hard liberal, based on the recent documentary 'Supersize Me,' decides to ingest nothing but right-wing media for a month.
- An overview of how different countries approach sex education.
- 10 underreported stories according to the United Nations.
- A French author has written a book with no verbs.
- A guide to making your PC quieter.
- Two videos: a new way to fold your t-shirts and a house getting eaten by a tornado.

Senators have witnessed the new abuse photographs and video from Iraq, and many have declared them to be even worse than the originals that were published in the New Yorker and the Washington Post. The feeling was bipartisan, as even Republican Congressman Edward Schrock was quoted as saying: "They were incredibly dehumanising, things you wouldn't expect one human being to another, do to another human being. I guess I'm just real disappointed that any man and woman that wears the uniform of the United States would engage in such activities." A New York Times article though would make Iraqi detainees thankful that they aren't suspected al-Qaeda members - it reports that the CIA used exceptionally harsh interrogation methods including threatening detainees with a gun and forcibly holding their heads underwater until close to drowning. The methods were reportedly so bad that the head of the FBI told his agents to stay out of room when the detainees were interviewed because a role in such conduct could compromise the agents' future criminal cases.

In Iraq, US soldiers continue to skirmish with the forces of Muqtada al-Sadr in Karbala, with al-Sadr comparing the fight to Vietnam. Because of the load on the troops, the US is expected to seek a United Nations security council resolution that would encourage more countries to contribute troops to Iraq. This can come none too soon, as the Arizona Daily Star reports that the army is quickly running out of supplies of vital necessities such as bullets because producers are having trouble keeping up with demand. The New York Times features a story on the increasingly blurred lines between soldiers and civilian contractors in postwar Iraq. Continuing the Nick Berg story, the Christian Science Monitor reports how his beheading is symptomatic of the culture of revenge in Iraq. It also highlights the PR push in Iraq attempting to sell democracy to Iraqis.

In what can be seen as a large upset, the ruling BJP in India has been tossed from power in parliamentary elections with Sonia Ghandi becoming the new Prime Minister. The Congress party and its allies have won 220 seats with the BJP and allies winning 189. The BJP were expected to win another majority because of a thriving economy, but the new opportunities are not shared by all, leading to a rejection of his party from those missing out on the economic boom. Indian financial markets have rebounded after receiving the news of a majority Congress government, outgoing Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is expected to resign this evening, and Congress is now preparing to form government.

The New York Times published an interesting article on the complexities of this year's presidential race for the campaigns and the candidates. In a what could make an interesting match, John Kerry has announced that, if elected President, he would likely name Arizona Senator John McCain as Secretary of Defense. McCain of course dismissed the comments when made, but how much if it is just party loyalty in an election year? Kerry has also launched into Bush about his policies in Iraq, calling it an "extraordinarily mismanaged and ineptly prosecuted war." He could mention, in addition, the work of student of U of I Champaign who, in a recent paper, catalogued 27 different rationales used by the Bush administration at one point or another to defend the decision to go to war in Iraq.


Also:
- A quantum physics breakthrough could boost the capacity of CDs by a factor of nine or more.
- The world is becoming a darker place -- physically. The amount of sunshine reaching the Earth has dropped 10% to 37%, depending on the location, since the 1950s.
- Physicists are building a particle detector inside a Teotihuacan pyramid to discover whether there are hidden chambers.
- An overview of what NASA's Cassini mission is expected to accomplish.
- Gene therapy may help in blocking the spread of HIV.
- Too much testosterone may inhibit social development.
- So called 'junk' DNA, long sections of genetic code that scientists previously thought did nothing, is found to have not evolved for millions of years in certain studied animals, creating a new interest for scientists.
- EPA estimates on fuel mileage are always higher than reality, but for hybrid cars, the difference can be stunning.
- Militants on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have agreed to register with the Pakistani government.
- A Greek extremist group has claimed responsibility for the Athens bomb attacks last week.
- China has jailed yet another human rights activist for illegally entering the country and spying.
- More than 30 000 Chileans who claim to be victims of torture under the former regime of General Augusto Pinochet have come forward to voluntarily testify to a government commission examining his abuses.
- Oxfam is launching its own fair trade coffee shop.
- Michael Moore will have his new film, Fahrenheit 911, distributed in the United States, but not under Disney.
- Following up the record set for the most expensive painting last week, Jackson Pollock has set a personal best with a selling price of $11.65 million. While we're on Pollock, I thought it would be interesting link to an older BBC article showing that his paintings aren't as random as they look.
- Canada has pledged over $100 million dollars for AIDS treatment in developing countries, winning the support of developing nation activists like Bono.
- Looks like the Sydney tarponds cleanup is now international news, as the BBC has run a story about it. Being picky though, their map seems to show only one part of Cape Breton Island labeled correctly, with the other half looking like it's attached to the mainland.

After recieving only negative comments on the new comments, I've figured out a way to switch back to the Haloscan ones.

Why it's known as 'Winterpeg'

Western Canada just got hammered with, of all things, a snow storm yesterday. Can you imagine getting up bright and early on May 13th and seeing this out your window?



Photo complements of Catherine Jamieson

It's not like in the movies

Needless to say, the biggest story out there right now is the videotape taken by an al-Qaeda affiliated group that shows an American contractor, Nick Berg, being beheaded. Though the video is out on the Internet, I decided that it was one thing that I really didn't need to see, especially after reading a description of what takes place. Brad, however, thought differently, and is currently traumatized by it, describing the brutal reality and 'non-Hollywoodness' of the event. Though clearly tragic, this event could have been prevented as the Guardian reports that Nick Berg was previously warned to leave the country but refused to do so. Today's news is plastered with the story, so much so that the ABC ponders the extent that it will deflect coverage from the prisoner abuse scandal.

Two more soldiers have been charged with the abuse of prisoners in Iraq as the Pentagon prepares to release additional media regarding the abuse. US Major General Antonio Taguba has placed the blame on the military leadership for not providing the necessary training or supervision over the troops stationed at Abu Ghraib prison. The New Scientist adds to this idea - after contacting psychologists they determined that it was likely that the abuse was condoned by senior officers. It has also been revealed that the United Nations repeatedly asked coalition forces for an explanation over the deaths in Iraqi detention facilities. The report originally made by the International Red Cross on the same subject is now available online as a PDF. The New Yorker, the publication to originally break the story, has published a follow up story on how the Department of Defense mishandled the controversy after the photos were made public.

Meanwhile, some rifts are beginning to show in the US military, with some officers openly questioning whether they are in the winning the battles, losing the war situation. In Afghanistan, the US military is opening an investigation over prisoner abuse there over allegations of an Afghan police officer on a military base being stripped naked, beaten, and photographed. In good news though, Moqtada al-Sadr is hinting around about a deal that would disband his militia army. However, it's still too soon to know whether any plan will come to fruition.

In brief:
- Hubble may have, for the first time, taken a picture of a planet orbiting another star.
- The noise from your computer chip may be used to decipher encrypted code.
- European researchers have found a way to 'unblacken' the censored parts of government reports.
- Wired News warns against browser hijackers.
- Beyer is looking to put a marijuana-based drug on the Canadian market to relieve the symptoms of MS and neuropathic pain.
- The ABC goes through all the things your mother told you about nutrition.
- Warwick University researchers believe that poor communication between brain cells leads some people to overeating.
- Good health news in the big apple - New York City reports an 11% drop in smoking in the last year.
- Like your morning coffee pick-me-up? It may actually be better to take small doses of caffeine at regular intervals.
- Female partner selection has made males more attractive over time.
- Deutsche Welle looks at the pros and cons of wind power.
- The Sydney tarponds, one of Canada's most toxic sites, are about to get $400 million in cleanup money.
- Recent attacks on oilfields in Iraq and Saudi Arabia have contributed to the price of crude oil surpassing $40/barrel, just $1 from their all-time high.
- Ha'aretz has published an article about the inequalities between Arabs and Jews in Israel proper.
- In a little bit of a surprise, John Zogby from pollster Zobgy International has written an articling detailing how the upcoming election is actually John Kerry's to lose.
- Former BC Premier Ujjal Dosanjh has called the NDP 'inconsequential.' All depends on whether it's a Liberal minority government after the election, really.

We all know that for every piece of great art there has to be many, many pieces of equally (if not disproportionately) bad art that never make it to the spotlight. Luckily, we now have The Museum of Bad Art available, which features, among other things, this excellent piece:

Madonna with Smile
Wood sculpture with felt tip by Unknown
6"x2"x1.5"
Acquired by Scott Wilson at church sale

Much controversy surrounds the history of this piece. Whether the work of a single artist or two artists separated by time and place, the piece succeeds in transforming a simple icon into a mysterious yet radiant image through a few quick dashes of the pen.

And the plot thickens

President Bush has come out stoutly defending Donald Rumsfeld, stating the that Secretary of Defense is doing a 'superb job' despite the prisoner abuse scandals, though even the right-leaning Economist has advised Bush to dump him. The Washington Post reports a correlation between the prisoner abuse and the rise of the Iraqi insurgency at the end of last year and, somewhat astoundingly, a leaked report states that the US authorities told the Red Cross at the time that such conduct was just 'part of the process.' Despite the alleged abuses that took place there, the new head of Iraqi prisons, General Geoffrey Miller, has stated publicly that Abu Ghraib will remain open. The New York Times takes a different spin on the issue, noting how abuse of prisoners is fairly routine in American jails but does not seem to warrant the same attention as it does in this case, while Slate takes the story to an even more fundamental point, illustrating how to properly pronounce Abu Ghraib.

The United States is now looking for help from the tribal sheiks in southern Iraq to rebuild the national security force that has been destroyed by the ongoing fighting between the US and the forces of Sheikh Moktada al-Sadr. US aircraft have bombed the his office in Baghdad as British forces attempt to complete their offensive against his supporters in Basra. Sheikh al-Sadr's supporters did manage to take over Sadr City, a neighborhood of Baghdad, leaving it, Najaf and Kufa under his control. Amnesty International is reporting that British troops killed Iraqi citizens, including an eight-year-old girl, though under no apparent threat. The United States has agreed to hand over Saddam Hussein to Iraqi officials by June 30th when the coalition is scheduled to return sovereignty to the Iraqi people. The Christian Science Monitor sums up the latest developments.

In a related but different note, the charity Christian Aid has warned the British government about wrongly diverting funds, stating that aid money is being diverted to military purposes instead of humanitarian relief and development in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Uganda. In addition, American companies are finding that their brand image is taking a beating because of the negative global response to the Bush administration's foreign policy.

A liberal Iranian cleric has been sentenced to death for blasphemy over his comments that Muslims should not blindly follow their religious leaders and a new film satirizing the religious authorities might be banned. At the same time, the outgoing reformist government has passed a bill that would grant women equal inheritance rights as men, though the legislation still needs to be approved by the Guardian Council which has vetoed similar legislation in the past.

The Campaign Desk takes on polling -- what they mean, what they can and can't tell, and exactly how relevant they are six months before an election. On that note though, the results of the latest poll. Then for dessert, they discuss media objectivity and how journalists are self-censoring their coverage so as not to be accused of favoritism to one candidate or the other.

In brief:
- The Cassini probe has begun taking detailed pictures of Saturn's moon Titan.
- Astronomers believe that they may have found a new type of planet.
- Speaking of new planets, NASA has released an artist's conception of what the solar system looks like from Sedna.
- Intel is working on a new superchip that will emit less heat than current designs.
- In health news that seems self-evident: cabbage and brussel sprouts are good for you and might lower your risk of cancer.
- Doctors are in the initial stages of developing a new obesity treatment that destroys the blood supply to fatty tissue.
- Magnetic therapy may help people with spinal cord injuries.
- Monsanto has given notice that it will not introduce genetically modified wheat to the marketplace for the time being.
- Concerned over the state of agriculture after a botched domestic land-reform policy, the UN is complaining that Zimbabwe is not granting them access to ascertain the state of the country's harvest and food stocks.
- The relations between the UN and Eritrea are degrading, with the UN complaining that Eritrea is illegally detaining its staff, and Eritrea accusing UN peacekeepers of serious crimes including pedophilia. The UN has since issued an ultimatum asking both Ethiopia and Eritrea to state whether they want the peacekeepers to remain in the area.
- The UN Security Council will continue monitoring the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, but will take no action in the near future to deal with the allegations of atrocities committed.
- A former Hutu leader suspected of playing a leading role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide has been arrested in DR Congo.
- A warrant for a former Indonesian military commander, General Wiranto, has been issued by the United Nations for his role in the crimes against humanity perpetrated in East Timor five years ago.
- The UN is also warning that the violence caused by drug trafficking is creating a humanitarian crisisin Columbia by driving two million from their homes and threatening indigenous groups with extinction.
- The controversy over the death penalty sentence given to foreign medical staff in Libya accused of intentionally infecting children with HIV is drawing counter-demonstrations in Libya.
- Pakistani tribal leaders along the Afghan border have pledged to raise a force of 1800 to capture al-Qaeda militants.
- The pro-Russian president of Chechnya has been assassinated.
- Canada has boarded Portuguese fishing trawlers off the Grand Banks, collecting evidence that they were fishing protected species.
- Christian conservatives are going to love this one: A study published in Britain shows that teaching kids about oral sex substantially decreases both teen sexual intercourse and teen pregnancy rates. Apparently teaching them to be sexual with boundaries is more effective than just telling them not to engage in any sexual activity.
- The Brazilian public is wondering whether their president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, might be a little too tipsy too much of the time.
- The New York Times documents how conservative groups are also using the courts to get their way on the same-sex marriage issue.
- Hollinger International is accusing Conrad Black of using the company as a cash cow.
- Slate explains exactly how a SothebyÂ’s auction works and what's up with the growth in payday loan institutions.
- The BBC is developing their own video codec.
- If you're in Washington Square Park in New York City from 1pm to 4pm on Sundays, why not go and get a hug?
- Who is the greatest Canadian? The CBC is letting you decide.

Blogger redesign

Blogger just went through a somewhat major redesign and one addition was a native comment system. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be compatible with the original comments - all of which got blown away in the transition. Try out the new system though and tell me what you think.

Being relgious makes you more moral, right? Well, apparently not when it comes to music piracy. The Christian Music Trade Association has published a poll that shows that self-identified 'born-again Christian' teens pirate Christian music at levels almost equal to all other teens -- 77% to 81%.

A wee bit o' backpedaling

In Iraq news, George Bush, after all the furor that erupted in the Arab world when he failed to apologize for the torture of Iraqi inmates, has now done so. Donald Rumsfeld has apologized as well after facing calls for his resignation. Al Qaeda has upped the ante by offering 10kg of gold, or about $125 000, as a reward to anyone who assassinates Paul Bremer, UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi or Kofi Annan. Tribal and religious leaders in Iraq have offered to mediate the standoff between the United States and Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. This comes none too soon, as eight Iraqis have been killed just today in clashes between American troops and his supporters.

Tony Blair, in a move that makes me wonder what he can possibly be thinking, has elevated John Scarlett, the man responsible for putting together the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction dossier, to be the new head of their international intelligence agency, MI6. The Atlantic Monthly features an article that ties in nicely with this recent announcement: "Where did Tony Blair go wrong?"

An American lawyer living in Oregon, Brandon Mayfield, is being held as a material witness to the Madrid bombings that killed 191 people. In Spain, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has said that Spanish troops will never return to Iraq, independent of a NATO or United Nations mandate.

Yesterday I wrote briefly about the new tougher Cuba policy that George Bush recently approved and tried to note my disapproval somewhat diplomatically. I expected some opposition from the Democrats at least but John Kerry's team came out with a response that, frankly, doesn't seem to say anything -- also known as pandering to Cuban Americans in Florida. However, I have to give mad props to the key aide of Colin Powell for bringing the subject home in a concise statement during a recent interview, calling the American sanctions against Pakistan and Cuba, "the dumbest policy on the face of the Earth." At least someone in the Bush administration seems to know what's really going on.

Human Rights Watch is accusing the Sudanese government of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity for aiding Arab militias in Darfur. The United Nations has recently reported its belief that the refugees in the region are being systematically starved.

In brief:
- NASA is thinking about sending one of the Mars rovers into a crater, even though it might not be able to get out.
- Scientists have managed to slow neutrons down to just 15 miles per hour.
- Microscopic plastic fragments in the ocean are being studied as to their effect on the ecosystem.
- Recent research seems to show that SARS may spread through sweat.
- Scientists believe they have found out how the brain recalls old memories.
- Researchers believe they have identified the fungus responsible for the Irish potato famine.
- How IRC is the seedy backwater of the internet.
- A suicide bomber killed 15 people and injured over 100 in a Karachi mosque in southern Pakistan. The bombing is believed to have been carried out by Sunni extremists, though no one has yet claimed responsibility.
- In a 140 to 6 vote, the United Nations has adopted a non-binding resolution granting the Palestinians sovereignty over the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem.
- Soon to be former CSO conductor Daniel Barenboim has announced that he will start a classical music program for Palestinian children and spoke to his support of the need for a Palestinian state.
- Iran has begun its second round of polling in districts where any candidate received at least 25% of the vote.
- The international community has reacted with great concern over the sentencing to death of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor.
- The FDA has ruled that a morning-after pill can not be sold over the counter.
- A judge in Florida has deemed unconstitutional a law put forward by Jeb Bush that prevented Terri Schiavo from being taken off life support.
- An alternative view of the 'close election' hypothesis -- why Kerry will win in a blowout.
- The United Methodist Church, the third-largest denomination in the United States, is not so united over homosexual issues.
- A New York Times article on the issues facing contemporary sculpture.
- An essay on the problems in Islam.
- Since he's coming to Ravinia, I thought I'd post an ABC interview with Rufus Wainright.
- Republican Massachusetts governor is trying to reinstate the death penalty in the state, and claims to have a foolproof plan that will prevent innocent people from being put to death.
- It might be time to dump your hotmail account -- Microsoft has plans to allow some spam vendors, those with the money to pay Microsoft $20 000, access to your account, bypassing the spam filter.
- Looks like the TV and movie industry are getting wise to the illegal downloading of shows as a survey shows that downloading had tripled in Britain over the last year.
- Slate asks whether video games can be too hard.
- Reviews of Super Size Me, a documentary about a guy who eats nothing but McDonalds for a month from both Slate and the Christian Science Monitor.
- Following up on yesterday's post, The Shining, as performed by bunnies.

Losing the Moral High Ground

There are new photos showing the torture of Iraqi prisoners released by the Washington Post, similar to those published by the New Yorker magazine that began this controversy. The ABC reports that these pictures may only be the tip of the iceberg, and prisoners released from the offending facility have spoke to Al-Jazzera about the torture and humiliation that they endured during their captivity. These incidents have caused a great deal of backlash in the Arab world who see these allegations as confirming their previous conception of a brutal and uncaring US government, causing a President known for avoiding interviews with the press to go on Arab television to explain the situation. Unfortunately during the entire interview before the Arab world he never said something to the effect of, 'I'm sorry for what happened,' and the backlash from that gaffe prompted White House spokespeople to say it for him the next day. To make matters worse, a CBC investigative report has found that thousands of Afghani POWs may have been executed with complicity by American forces. Though this has worsened the global opinion of Bush, it has yet make a dent in his domestic approval ratings, as he campaigns under the guise of his 'regular guy' status. Donald Rumsfeld, however, appears to be getting the brunt of the blame, at least from the President. This, needless to say, represents a huge PR problem for the Coalition, since once their weapons of mass destruction justification fell through they were relying on the belief that they were taking the moral high ground by liberating Iraq from a brutal dictator who tortured his people. Now it's the whole pot and kettle thing.

Occupying troops are still fighting with Iraqi insurgents in Najaf with several serious injuries reported. Marines have handed over control of Fallujah to a new Iraqi security force, leading local insurgents to call it a victory. Nine people have been killed in a bombing in Baghdad including one US soldier, with two other soldiers in reportedly serious condition.

Meanwhile, President Bush has asked congress for an additional $25 billion dollars to finance the ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as the military announced that 138 000 troops are expected to stay in Iraq until at least the end of 2005. In a matter of poor timing for the President though, Allen Greenspan announced that the deficit the US government is already running, now at 4.25% of the total economy, represents an obstacle to long-term economic stability of the country.

Also:
- Falling in love causes men to be hormonally more like women, and vice versa.
- Liquid calories between meals, regardless of source, can be a major factor of weight gain.
- Tea may help with ovarian and prostate cancer.
- Barbie shaped women have been found to have the highest reproductive potential -- meaning fertility, not necessarily ability to attract.
- Since it's a natural segue -- a piece on how men are plagued by the same body image problems as women.
- Scientists have constructed a microscopic walking 'robot' out of DNA.
- The next animal heading towards the brink of extinction: kangaroos, meaning that future Dots might never find their lost way.
- A new study hopes to resolve some issues in the global warming debate.
- Calculate your weight on any of the planets of the solar system (and a few moons too), then read about the difference between mass and weight.
- Astronomers have discovered that the Milky Way has a huge outflung arm.
- Scientists have developed theories for how life might be able to exist on Venus.
- An article on all the phrases that Shakespeare introduced to the English language.
- Fox News decides that the Globe and Mail, arguably one of Canada's more conservative papers, is actually a lefty-pinko publication.
- How to make latte art.
- The US Navy is using dolphins to locate a missing mini-submarine that it lost.
- An Australian company has developed an environmentally-friendly waterless urinal.
- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee says he is certain of victory in India's elections.
- Amnesty International has warned about the increased trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls in Kosovo to meet the needs of UN and NATO troops.
- Three bombs have exploded in Athens only 100 days before the Olympic Games open.
- Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate Gaza has been rejected by his own party.
- The New York Times reports that the Israeli housing ministry has funnelled $6.5 million dollars to construction projects on the West Bank in the past few years.
- Libya has sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for willfully infecting more than 400 children with the HIV virus after legal proceedings that were strongly criticized by international observers.
- Haiti has been out of the news for the past few weeks, but that doesn't mean that things have been getting better there.
- An article on how it takes more than money to reduce poverty.
- They may pay higher taxes, but filing them in Sweden is substantially easier.
- Walmart is having some issues breaking into urban markets.
- Al Gore has bought a television station that he wants to fashion into a news organization for young adults.
- Disney has called Michael Moore's complaints over their decision to not release his film Fahrenheit 911 a publicity stunt, though the film will apparently be available for screening in Britain.
- A Picasso has set the new record for the most money paid for a painting at an auction -- $104.1 million.
- China continues to stifle any hint of political opposition to the ruling party by shutting down 8 600 cyber cafés under the premise that they were 'corrupting the minds of youngsters.'
- Bush is to announce tougher measures against Cuba in an attempt to weaken Castro's hold on power. It's too bad that Cuba doesn't have a billion people to sell American products to, or else they might be a candidate for constructive engagement like China.
- The Exorcist, as re-enacted by bunnies.
- As a huge fan of the original Scorched Earth, I'm elated to find that a new 3D version is out.

Think you know all there is to know about how the Presidential race will turn out? The Campaign Desk points to an article that sums it up to whether the Packers will beat the Redskins on October 31st. Apparently for eighteen straight times, a Redskins' loss before the election has resulted in the ousting of the president, whereas a win has resulting in the incumbent winning. Could end up being a conflict of interest for some Bears fans that I know.

Another interesting John Peel recording -- this time the Pig's pick 78 for Tuesday -- a man who specializes in English and Australian bird imitations at about the 53 minute mark. Some of them, like the duck and the chicken are pretty lame, but he does a great job at the wild birds. As usual, the link is valid till next week's Tuesday show.

Just a handful of interesting things I've found that I thought I'd share:

- First is from the Nobel prize website, which now features an illustrated map of 20th century conflicts.
- BBC Radio 3 has a page on the building of a jazz library.
- For a limited time, you can buy more intangible things on ebay.
- A poll of 2000 readers of Total Guitar magazine has culminated in the top 20 guitar riffs of all time, although looking at the list I think it's a biased sample.
- A happy belated birthday to BASIC, which turned 40 on May 1st.
- MI5 has a brand new homepage, apparently for the first time ever. One thing about European web designers - they know how to make things look good.
- Interested in calculating the speed of light? If you have a microwave, some marshmallows and the instructions from this page, you're good to go.
- A list of the 46 best freeware utilities.
- Arnold gets all hot under the collar about his bobblehead doll.

Finally, if this story needed a byline, it would be 'why Christian Evangelicals scare me.' You just have to read the opening paragraph:

Robert and Schon Passmore took their children to Disney World last fall and left bitterly disappointed. As Christians who reject evolutionary theory, the family scoffed at the park's dinosaur attractions, which date the apatosaurus, brachiosaurus and the like to prehistoric times.

Why are we still debating evolution vs creationism? Can somebody please explain the idea of metaphor (or even the concept of 'creation myth') to these people?

*sigh*

What goes with juice?

Catherine Jamieson has taken many great photos since I've gotten to know her website through CBC Radio 3, but this one features a subject dear to my heart...