It's for Real Now!

Barrack Obama launches his Presidential Campaign. Nuff said.

Also:
- Ségolène Royal releases her manifesto for the French Presidency. A few highlights.
- Johns Hopkins Magazine reviews a study looking into post-war Iraqi mortality rates.
- A good review of Kurdish politics.
- Canadian PM Harper blasts back at China's veiled economic threats for discussing the dismal Chinese human rights policy.
- Der Spiegel on the conflict between Turkish nationalists and liberals.
- The United Nations takes on Haitian street gangs.
- Professional dogfighting is on the rise in Russia.
- The genetics of type 2 diabetes is mapped out.
- Is the black hole in the middle of our galaxy the ultimate particle accelerator?

Rise of the Right in the EU Parliament

Now that they have formed an official caucus in the European Parliament called "Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty," the right are looking to spread their ultranationalist ideals throughout the continent. Putting aside previous differences, they hope that the $1.5 million they receive for being a coalition will be more than enough to keep the somewhat disparate group together. On a more local level, appeals to nationalism in French politics aren't just limited to Le Pen (who, by the way, is "confident" about his campaign). Le Monde reports on Presidential candidate Philippe de Villiers, thankfully polling at 1-2%, whose campaign is based on "reviving French pride" in the face of "globalism" and "communitarianism."

The Conservative government wants to purchase big military planes to end their dependence on potentially unreliable Russian rentals. Though there is opposition about the 'rationale,' I think this is a good idea. If we really want to be a serious peacekeeping nation, we need unfettered access to long-distance planes so we can move troops and equipment quickly to potential hotspots. Though this story has the usual anti-Russian spin seen in this blog (that I would argue, needless to say, is not unjustified given the conditions there), I found this article from the CSM that takes a more balanced look at the problems between Russia and the West.

Finally, in local news, it snowed here in Britain. You would think that this isn't really news, but that's only if you don't know the apocalyptic relationship the Brits have with snow. On recent reports that 5-15cm of snow might fall, the main weather site in Britain crashed under the weight of people verifying the big 'news.'

Also,
- 26 percent of farmland in South Lebanon has unexploded cluster bombs strewn about, courtesy of Israel.
- Palestinian peace talks open in Mecca.
- Germany is facing more German emigrants than immigrants for the first time since the late 60's.
- Presidential candidate Nicholas Sarkozy defends the Muslim political cartoons.
- Kodak decides to market new printers that have cheap ink.
- Steve Jobs lobbies for the end of DRM.
- A poll by Thinkprogress, a left-wing site, shows that only 13 percent of Republicans think global warming is real.
- The NYT covers the newest particle accelerator - the International Linear Collider.
- Ben and Jerry's + Stephen Colbert = this?

Blowback from the War on Terror

The Europeans are starting to fight back over some of the more draconian measures taken by the United States in the War on Terror. This weeks news focused on efforts by Germany to have the US extradite 13 suspects charged with kidnapping a German citizen. Like Canadian Maher Arar who was abducted, sent to Syria and tortured, US intelligence officials kidnapped Khaled Masri and flew him to Afghanistan where he was held without trial and interrogated for four months before being released into the Albanian mountains.

Ah Russia - making the news again for a hodge-podge of great things - orange snow, banning major opposition parties, a military that's falling apart, and government collusion and bribery with criminal elements wanted in the West. Oh, and if that's not enough, a top human rights judge is now claiming that he was poisoned by the Russians back in October, making him violently ill and close to death after a trip to Russia. Then again, it's not just the Russians who are into political assassination by poison these days. Israel's Mossad is now suspected of killing a top Iranian nuclear scientist.

Also:
- Who really watches it for the football? Gizmodo's best Superbowl commercials.
- Sort of an underreported story (in the face of everything else) about the increase in factional fighting in Palestine.
- Slate looks into the question of why we don't telecommute more for business despite all of our new technology.
- The American Jewish Committee is focusing on tackling a new wave of 'antisemitism' - from Liberal Jews.
- Slate also examines the faulty link between prison sentences and deterrence.
- The CSM on how Lebanon could face another civil war.
- Lots 'o physics simulations!