My first earthquake

Hey -- I just lived through my first earthquake! Even though it was weak it sort of freaked me out at first -- I heard that building creak while lying in bed and felt everything shake, but now it's rather exciting. :)

On Vacation

My sister is down for the week from Nova Scotia, so it's rather unlikely that I'll get to putting something up until next week. Sorry! :)

The Culture of Secrecy

A team of government lawyers concluded in a 2003 memo that commands issued by President Bush were not subject to international treaties or federal laws against torture, though John Ashcroft told a Senate committee that Bush never issued commands that would break these laws. Ashcoft, however, refused to release a memo detailing the degree of pain and suffering that would be permitted during interrogations for no apparent reason -- not citing presidential privilege but just refusing to hand them over, an act that might place him in contempt of Congress as Senator Dick Durban pointed out. I heard the exchange on NPR, which, slightly edited, went like this:

Sen Durbin: "And here's the problem we have. You have said that you're not claiming executive privilege; that's for the president to claim. But the law's very clear: you have two options when you say no to this committee: Either the executive claims privilege and refuses to disclose, or you cite a statutory provision whereby Congress has limited its constitutional right to information.
So which is it, Mr. Attorney General? Is it executive privilege, or which statue are you claiming is going to shield you from making this disclosure of these memos at this point?"

...

Atty Gen Ashcroft: "I am refusing to disclose these memos because I believe it is essential to the operation of the executive branch that the president have the opportunity to get information from his attorney general that is confidential and that the responsibility to do that is a function of the executive branch and a necessity that is protected by the doctrine of the separation of powers in the Constitution.
And for that reason -- and that is the reason for which I have not delivered to the Congress or the members of the Senate these memos, any memos."

Sen Durbin: "Sir, Attorney General, with all due respect, your personal belief is not a law, and you are not citing a law and you are not claiming executive privilege. And, frankly, that is what contempt of Congress is all about.
You have to give us a specific legal authority which gives you the right to say no or the president has to claim privilege. And you've done neither.
I think this committee has a responsibility to move forward on this."

Sen Hatch: "Are these memos classified?"

...

Atty Gen Ashcroft: "Some of these memos may be classified in some ways for some purposes. I don't know. I don't..."

Sen Durbin: "Mr. Attorney General, with all due respect, that is a complete evasion. What you have done is refuse to cite a statutory basis for disclosing these memos, refused to claim executive privilege, and now suggest that some parts of these may be classified.
Mr. Chairman, I hope we take this up very seriously because I think it gets to the heart of our relationship. The attorney general is an occasional guest here, and we're glad to have him.
But I think to come here and basically tell us that we cannot see documents from your department on the basis of which you've said this morning is not fair and not consistent with our Constitution."

So there you go. Ashcroft can't release them because some of them are classified in some ways for some purposes. That certainly makes everything clear. In a related story on über-secrecy, the Senate Intelligence Committee is asking the CIA to declassify a 400-page report that is highly critical of the agency's pre-war performance in Iraq.

There has been a good deal of symbolic progress in Iraq in the past few days, with the United Nations Security Council unanamously passing a resolution approving the sovereignty of Iraq that was cautiously welcomed by the international community, committments from nine militias in Iraq to disband, and an announcement that the Abu Ghraib inquiry will stretch into the highest levels of the military -- though in Iraq itself random violence continues despite the political progress, this time in the shape of car bombs and land mines, and a major northern oil pipeline that was blown up. The Kurds are still up in arms about Shiite plans to limit their self-rule and are threatening to walk away from any agreement that doesn't guarantee some level of autonomy. There is also a story out about how the current Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, ran an operation under the supervision of the CIA in the early 1990s to plant bombs and sabotage government facilities in Iraq.

Articles on Ronald Regan continue to pour in as Christopher Hitchens takes a shot at the former president by illustrating his many gaffs, the reaction from citizens of the Regan-characterized 'evil empire,' his role in possibly shortening the length of the Cold War, his role as 'symbol-in-chief,' his effect on the politics of the GOP, the differences between Regan and Bush, the effects of Regan's death on the election in general, the long term effects of his tax cuts, whether or not he'll replace Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, 66 things to think about when flying into Regan National Airport, and how his stature has risen over the years since his presidency.

The body of the President is expected to lie in state until the funeral Friday that is expected to be elaborate and moving. This funeral is the first state funeral of a President in 30 years, which is a large undertaking -- especially with the heightened emphasis on security. Eulogies will be delivered by many, including former Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney and Margaret Thatcher.

In a disappointing piece of news, it looks like the funding for the Christian Science Monitor, one of my favorite papers, is going to be cut significantly next year because of financial pressures on the First Church of Christ, Scientist who publishes the newspaper. This is one of the top notch newspapers in the United States, if not the world, that continually brings quality stories and perhaps more importantly, excellent background to set the stage of events, two factors which cause me to rely heavily on it for this blog and my general understanding of what's going on in the world. I can only hope that they can work something out that will not deteriorate the quality of the paper.

Also:
- The US military is planning to use water to extend the life of their satellites.
- A story on the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Its animal rights groups against scientists in the battle to keep or get rid of animal dissections in high school biology.
- Researchers have made what is believed to be significant headway into treating prostate and breast cancer.
- Scientists have recently filmed an underwater volcano eruption.
- This season's hurricane forecast is looking nasty.
- An article on how the Bush administration's take on science echoes that of the Soviet Union.
- The BBC asks how long will oil continue flowing.
- California lawmakers are looking to cut the amount of harmful emissions from new cars and trucks by 30 percent in the next 10 years.
- Apple computers have once again been rebuked for claiming to have the world's fastest computers.
- A group of people are attempting to turn Google into an unofficial dating service.
- Italy has arrested another suspect in the Madrid bombings whom they believe played a pivotal role in the attacks.
- In the never-ending search for political indicators, this one is somewhat original, showing the correlation between obesity and voting preference in the 2000 election.
- An article from the New Catholic Times about how the Pope and his closest advisors fear that George Bush might be the Antichrist.
- A group of Democrats is trying to revive the historic role of religion in their party.
- Female genital mutilation and other acts to secure the 'purity' of young women are reportedly on the decline in Africa.
- The United States has announced that it will pull 12 000 troops from South Korea.
- Violence in Afghanistan is causing serious problems for the upcoming elections in September, as less than one third of the population registered to vote because of threats against registrars.
- Ex-Rwandan president Pasteur Bizimungu has been sentenced to 15 year imprisonment over charges of creating an militia and inciting violence in the country.
- The government of Zimbabwe is looking at another round of land seizures in an attempt to nationalize all farmland in the country.
- The Christian Science Monitor on how Muslim women integrate into European society faster than the men.
- A referendum on the Presidency of Hugo Chávez has moved closer to being set in Argentina.
- There are signs that the US economy might be picking up.
- Taking a literal approach to all the phallic imagery that pervades presidential politics.
- How summer movies ruin classic literature.
- An update on the fate of Afghanistan's Buddhas.
- An article on why it takes actual starvation for the global media to take notice of famine.
- A memo from Amnesty International about the situation in Darfur, and a case citing Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia Castillo as a prisoner of conscience for refusing to return to his unit in Iraq.
- An article from the Village Voice about how Jose Padilla is unable to defend himself against the Justice Department's allegations.
- Kos reports that terrorism is actually up during the Bush administration.
- Britain is opening its first major online museum.
- A three-part series on the rise of paranoia and conspiracy theories in America.
- Get ready for Euro2004, where you can practice your own skills online!
- The Atlantic asks when was the last time a conservative talk show host changed his or her mind on an issue.
- Buddhism is taking a small foothold in Germany.
- The Toronto Star gives us the ABCs of the Canadian federal election.
- Junk food, sugary drinks and beer make up one third of the American diet.
- A site that compiles campaign media that is searchable.
- Trust in the media has been declining over the last couple of years -- especially if you're a Republican.

Final bow for the Gipper

The big story over the weekend has been the death of President Ronald Regan at 93 after suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for the past decade. His death is marked by a flurry of reporting about his life and presidency, including critiques on his idea that big government confines liberty coupled with his big government spending and huge deficits, the impact of his death on the current campaign, and whether he was actually a closet liberal. The tribute to President Regan is expected to last all week, culminating in a funeral service that is intended to look like JFK's. The New York Times ran a good piece on Nancy Regan, who looked after her husband despite his eventual regression to not knowing who she was, on her becoming a spokesperson for medical research.

In Iraq, supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr are reportedly pulling out of the cities of Najaf and Kufa, giving hope that the two-month-old rebellion might be coming to a close. Violence still remains though, with 21 dead over the weekend in attacks. President Bush is hopeful for a UN resolution concerning the future of Iraq, a hope which many analysts see as likely to be fulfilled. Some representatives from both parties on the hill are concerned that the inquiries focusing on prisoner abuse are not being pursued to the extent they should be, which may lend some credence to the top UN human rights official stating that the abuse may represent a war crime with a call for international oversight. At the same time though, the UN human rights organization also praised the coalition forces for freeing the Iraqi people from years of systemic human rights violations under the Hussein government. The coalition may be in for more trouble though, as the Kurds are threatening to secede if they aren't guaranteed certain provisions in the new Iraqi constitution, a move that might move both the new Iraqi state and Turkey to military action. Wrapping up with Iraq stories, Slate gives the exact quotes from President Bush showing how he's trying to deny that he's ever really known Iraqi opposition leader and possible Iranian spy Ahmed Chalabi and soldiers in Iraq are mysteriously finding millions of dollars in newly minted American currency.

Also:
- A scientist analyzing satellite photos has claimed to have found Atlantis.
- An article on the negative effects of marine plastics.
- A new generation of cancer drugs might turn cancer into a chronic, but not life threatening disease.
- An article on global trends toward depopulation.
- The Campaign Desk takes a look at the plethora of opposition research and how journalists are reacting to it.
- Spanish authorities are painting a picture of an FBI overly anxious to arrest a possible American suspect in the Madrid bombings despite sufficient evidence.
- Reports are coming out stating that the United States was in negotiation with the Taliban for the extradition of Osama bin Laden a year before the 9/11 attacks.
- There is a popular revolt against the Patriot Act being waged by American cities.
- Senators McCain and Leahy have introduced a bill to that would allow low-power radio stations to use the FM dial in urban areas.
- The British government is calling for international monitors to ensure that the current crisis in Sudan does not further escalate.
- The RIAA, not sufficed with its current plans to enforce copyright, is pushing for a new breed of music player that would require biometric information to be gathered before playing tracks.
- An interview with Chuck D on how copyright law changed hip-hop.
- Storm-chasing is turning into a tourist event.
- Some Catholic bishops are going public with their belief that Archbishop Burke is going too far by denying Catholic politicians with pro-choice views communion.
- A new program to check out: Super Mario War.
- Audio lectures from a University of Minnesota English class on Science Fiction.
- Play a game of psychopong, hit the alien, or try and sink the billiard balls before they explode!
- A list of the 10 best internet fads.

Finally, a psychiatrist from California wants to change the official key of the national anthem from B flat to G. I don't think this solves the essential problem of the piece though, which is the range of an octave and a fifth. In B flat that means that the lowest note is the B flat below middle C, which can be sung by almost anyone, but the highest note is an F at the top of the treble clef, a note that only tenors and sopranos can reach. However, by putting it down to G you make people sing a low G below middle C on the word 'say,' which is also difficult. I personally would opt for A, or more likely A flat, since that brings the top note to either an E or E flat, still high but more manageable, without bottoming out the first part. But then again, we are fighting over semitones here -- maybe an alternate melody would be more appropriate?

A look at pop music

Every once and a while I like to check out what's going on in the pop music scene -- I don't have cable and therefore no MTV, I don't really listen to commercial radio, so I tend to loose touch after a couple of months. However, thanks to sites like Launchcast Video, I can quickly get a sense of what's hot and what's not, at least in my opinion. :)

Usher -- You know, I kind of dig the song Yeah, even though it's really little more than a remake of Lil' John's last effort but with Usher on vocals. I think it's the syncopation in the chorus that does it for me. His other tune, Burn, kind of left me cold, but I was never into the whole modern R&B thing, so it could be that I don't have a taste for it.

Britney Spears -- Everytime is another 'my life's so hard' video from Britney, with the usual somewhat catchy but ultimately forgettable track under it. Will she never go away?

Avril Lavigne -- You know, Don't Tell Me isn't all that bad. It's catchy and ultimately about not having sex, which in a music industry filled with sexual messages is somewhat refreshing.

JoJo -- Leave sounds to me like another music industry constructed pop diva project. There's really nothing of note here, other than an attempt to rehash Britney's lolita schoolgirl image of a couple years ago.

Outkast -- Roses isn't Hey Ya, but it's still interesting and began to grow on me, if for no other reason that it's going against the current music grain.

Eminem -- My Band is sort of funny (and sort of may be stretching it), but is it really more than an attempt to promote his other D12 buddies so they can all make more money?

Christina Milian -- Dip It Low is a prefab tune with a hot chick singing it. Wow, that's never been done before.

Blink 182 -- Are these guys still punk? You can only sell out so much before you lose what made you popular in the first place.

Evanescence -- Everybody's Fool isn't a notable song, but the video does feature a critique of media which is never bad. It's sort of what I thought Jewel's video Intuition was doing until I heard that it was actually a pop repackaging for her.

T-Plus 15 Years

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, a military assault by the government of China against peaceful protesters that left hundreds dead and thousands wounded. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands held a candlelight vigil to commemorate the event, while the current Chinese government arrested and detained countless dissidents including at least 16 activists in the square itself. Though clearly these are barbaric means, the Economist points out that it achieves exactly what the Chinese government wants: the non-existence of organized dissent. The Register republished an article five years ago about how the struggle for political rights moved to the web, a move blunted now by China's harsh internet censorship.

President Bush has met with the Pope, who asked Bush to make attempts to normalize the Iraq situation and giving the Iraqi people back their sovereignty. This visit is politically important to the President, who is in a battle with John Kerry over the Catholic vote. The visit doesn't seem to be helping him with Italians, for even though the government of Italy is on of America's chief allies in Iraq, relations with the people of Italy are still rather frosty. While on the subject of American/European relations, at the 60th anniversary of D-Day ceremony George Bush is apparently playing it like he's never met a Frenchman he hasn't liked. Looks like another case of the friendly flip-flop that I posted about yesterday. Do you think that George Tenant is now off the Christmas card list? And speaking of whom, the media fallout of George Tenant's resignation continues today, with a number of articles written on the close relationship between Tenant and Bush and whether or not he was forced out of his position.

In brief:
- It's hard to believe, but Microsoft has been granted a patent on double-clicking.
- 80% of spam originates from PCs infected by viruses.
- The European Space Agency has announced a plan to launch a satellite to study the Earth's magnetic field.
- Jack Layton has come out with a proposal to build 10 000 wind turbines and make Canadian buildings more energy efficient.
- The first war crimes tribunal has begun in Sierra Leone.
- An interesting article on an alternative view of Islam.
- The prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison may have the effect of slowing police and legal reforms surrounding torture in Middle Eastern countries.
- The Economist looks at how well the Bush administration is dealing with nuclear weapon proliferation.
- Donald Rumsfeld is to personally review the types of interrogation used in Guantanamo.
- The new government of Iraq is demanding a final say over whether American troops stay or leave their country.
- Another article about what it was like inside the Dean campaign.
- The protest song is apparently back.
- The 3rd annual Jerusalem gay pride parade is met with protests.
- A review of a new book offering what it believes to be a middle-ground proposal on gay marriage.
- An article about a new documentary called The Corporation.
- The Christian Science Monitor takes on the issue of media bias.

Hmmmmm... who to vote for??

Like the American primaries, the Canadian federal election now has websites that will rank you candidate choices based on a the responses to a number of views. Mine turned out like this:

Jack Layton (NDP) 100
Gilles Duceppe (BQ) 76
Paul Martin (Liberal) 48
Stephen Harper (Conservative) 10

In the race itself, Stephen Harper apparently needs to take a remedial course in Canadian Government after stating that if Parliament passes a bill upholding the definition of marriage, the Supreme Court would not challenge it. It makes me wonder what he thinks the court is there to do, especially after three prior decisions declaring the law unconstitutional.

Despite being a serious dark horse candidate this time around, Ralph Nader continues to campaign for President with a small army of hard core supporters. Director of the CIA, George Tenant, has resigned due to 'personal reasons' (which might have included screwing up the most important intelligence operations in the last 6 years) according to President Bush, who also recently in a feat of historical revisionism compared the the war on terror to World War II. Bush has decided it would be prudent to retain a lawyer over the case of the White House staff leaking the name of a CIA undercover officer as political retribution. Kos notes how this act, which could actually be treasonous, isn't getting all that much play from Ms. Treason herself Ann Coulter. But then again, how can this act be as bad as not cutting taxes? Kos also illustrates how the President seems to 'forget' his associations with people once they're embroiled in a scandal -- first "Kenny Boy" Kenneth Lay, now apparently Chalabi. Bush is also looking increasingly towards conservative Christian congregations to aid in his reelection campaign, although he might want to sure up support closer to home though, since the mayor of his hometown in Crawfordsville has declared his support for Kerry.

Also:
- OPEC has reiterated the claim that it will increase oil production to ease prices.
- The Washington Post looks at what drives supporters of Moqtada Sadr.
- Poor Canadians are more healthy than their US counterparts.
- Las Vegas offers opportunities for immigrants to directly enter the middle class.
- The GOP now has Kerryopoly, a 'game' that's designed to show how much money, and therefore how out of touch, John Kerry is. Isn't this a big case of the pot calling the kettle black though?
- Tapes of former Enron employees joking about how they were screwing over customers have emerged.
- You can now watch the trailer for Michael Moore's new film, Fahrenheit 9/11, online!
- Apparently the most beautiful woman of all time is Audrey Hepburn.

Plus ça change...

In Iraq, the interim cabinet has been sworn in with Sunni tribal chief Ghazi al-Yawir as its president just as a number of explosions rocked Baghdad killing at least 25. The ceasefire with Sadr's forces has been broken with at least two American soldiers killed in new fighting. Internationally, there is still no consensus on the sovereignty resolution at the United Nations

Saudi forces have launched a massive manhunt for suspected al-Qaeda forces responsible for killing 22 civilians. They have also released a statement reiterating that Saudi Arabia's oil resources are safe from terrorist attack to calm fears that al-Qaeda would be successful in attacking resources. The Economist explores what the potential impact of such an attack would be.

In the Presidential race, John Kerry has come out with his foreign policy initiative, stating that the United States should be respected, not just feared. The Democrats have also picked up a congressional seat in South Dakota, which has to be good news for Tom Daschle. The New York Times also published an article about how several Southern senatorial seats are actually competitive for the Democrats.

The federal election campaign in Canada continues to roll along, with many media outlets pointing out that Paul Martin could lose his majority government after June 28th. Conservative leader Stephen Harper has trotted out their usual machismo-dripping 'get tough on crime' plan.

It has been a big week in astronomy, as astronomers have possibly discovered the youngest planet yet found around a distant star that challenges current theories of planet formation, found the largest stars on record, come up with new support for the existence of global warming by looking at the moon, hypothesized about the existence of huge black holes in the early universe, and found a new estimate for the size of the universe.

In brief:
- A genetically modified virus has been successful in hunting down and destroying cancer cells.
- Scientists and engineers have come up with a new system to produce energy from the heat of smokestacks.
- We have a new prime number discovered with 7 million digits.
- A large dinosaur discovery in Niger has given additional information to the historical movement of continents.
- An Alaskan earthquake in 2002 produced a ripple effect that triggered smaller earthquakes unblocking geysers in Yellowstone National Park.
- NASA is looking into sending up robots to save the Hubble telescope.
- It might not self destruct in five seconds, but after a few hours, a new disposable DVD will be unusable.
- A UN report on globalization has found that trade is not improving the economic conditions of the poor.
- Things in Haiti seem to be getting worse after floods and mudslides cause further problems.
- Norway has banned smoking in all bars.
- In Sierra Leone, a special court has ruled that the recruiting of child soldiers constitutes a war crime.
- Nelson Mandela has announced that he is stepping down from public life.
- Iran's supreme court has once again revoked the death sentence of dissident academic Hashem Aghajari.
- A Saudi man has been convicted and sentenced to six months in prison and 300 lashes over severely physically abusing his wife.
- A prominent Russian journalist has been fired from his television station after interviewing the wife of a murdered Chechen rebel leader, sparking fears of government censorship.
- Amnesty International has criticized the government of Turkey for not adequately protecting women's rights.
- A discussion on France's love of farming.
- The Anglican Church of Canada has selected a new primate who has openly supported same-sex marriages, a development that might lead to the same internal schisms as American church.
- The Christian Science Monitor tackles whether denying communion for contrary Catholics is a good idea for the Church.
- China is continuing to expand its government censorship, now including online games.
- Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is following in China's Big Brother footsteps, proposing to force internet providers to divulge the contents of email.
- A story on the effects of Christian charity abortion lobbying on development issues in Africa.
- Meanwhile in America, a federal judge in California has ruled that the 'partial birth abortion' ban is unconstitutional.
- The UN is warning that steps to reduce Afghanistan's opium trade are insufficient.
- The New York Times looks at the reintegration problems of soldiers coming back from Iraq.
- According to this article, we may see the browser wars heat up again.
- The Economist on the history and current popularity of poker.
- Michael Moore has found a distributor for Fahrenheit 9/11.
- The problem surrounding the use of female sexuality in classical music.
- Painting, a medium that has received less attention in recent years, is making a comeback.
- Slate on the success of widescreen format for movies.
- Why is Christopher Walken to popular?
- Turns out that the 'secret code' to launch American nuclear weapons during the cold war was 00000000.
- How bohemian culture became everyday culture.
- An added bonus to living in Sweden: now you can have emergency condoms delivered to you by car.