Afghanistan
From
Paul Wells today:
"the government was told, by its own officials, to expect all this; that it lied when first asked, insisting in writing that "no such report on human-rights performance in other countries exists;" and that it then released a heavily redacted version of the report, whose deletions cannot be explained under federal Access to Information law...
The rest of us need to understand: This government lies to us without compunction or apology about the most important files a government can be asked to handle."Misleading Parliament and indeed, the Canadian people, is a big deal.
Labels: Afghanistan, Canada, Conservative Party
Debate Time?
Just wanting to throw this out there, mainly because I haven't reached an opinion yet... so let us see if we can get fired up on this one...
HIV detainee image 'must be released'DOCTORS say the image of HIV detainee Stuart McDonald should be released in the interests of the public.The Australian Medical Association's call comes as the South Australian Opposition calls for the wives, girlfriends and partners involved in the HIV scandal to be financially compensated if they have contracted the virus. The Government has opposed lifting a suppression order on McDonald's image, arguing it would hinder police investigations after authorities linked him to 11 different men with the virus. AMA president Dr Chris Cain said yesterday McDonald could have used an alias and potential victims might not be aware they were infected. "In terms of safety and having blood tests then you can make a good case for it being known," he said. "In public interest, I would say yes his image should be made public." Independent MP Nick Xenophon has foreshadowed an anti-suppression Bill.
"It seems absurd and inconsistent that you'll suppress the image but not the name, particularly given the public health considerations," he said.
Complaints were made to health authorities in early and mid-2005 that McDonald was recklessly spreading the virus and had raped a man.
Opposition health spokeswoman Vickie Chapman said the Government would have to deal with compensation.Let's ignore the compensation thing for a bit, unless of course you don't want to, but the image being released is an interesting conundrum for me...
Do we respect the right to privacy for those suffering from Infectious Disease? I think we should...
Do we continue to respect that right if they intentionally spread the Infectious Disease? I'm not sure, I am leaning towards an emphatic no, but am yet to be convinced...
In my research lately, which has been somewhat neglected for reasons beyond my control, I have been tinkering with an Idea first bought to my attention by Carla, the concept is a Bill of Rights for Infected Persons.
If H5N1 starts taking over the planet, what rights do we guarantee the infected? Surely if they get the flu we can't discriminate, but doesn't that violate the rights of the un-infected?
The image of a person who has intentionally infected others being released to the public... Is it a public service?
If he is guilty, does it matter? We see images of murderers all the time... Does his guilt remove that right of privacy?
Let me know what the feeling is out there! Please!!!
Labels: Debate, HIV/AIDS
More Politics of Fear.... this time, over Kyoto
Canadian Federal Environment Minister John Baird, instead of taking action to deal with climate change, is now taking the approach that combating climate change through the world-standard Kyoto Protocol, would be too costly. Baird
approached the Senate environment committee insisting Kyoto would *manufacture a recession.*
In the committee, Liberal Colin Kenny challenged Mr. Baird to provide a step-by-step explanation of how he arrived at his dire figures. Mr. Baird referred Mr. Kenny to a document that he provided to the committee, but committee chairman Liberal Tommy Banks said he could not find any arithmetic in the document that justified the figures.
....
In the committee, Liberal Colin Kenny challenged Mr. Baird to provide a step-by-step explanation of how he arrived at his dire figures. Mr. Baird referred Mr. Kenny to a document that he provided to the committee, but committee chairman Liberal Tommy Banks said he could not find any arithmetic in the document that justified the figures.
...
A study last fall by Nicholas Stern, former chief economist of the World Bank, said costs of combatting global warming are manageable and would be much less than the costs of taking no action.
Kyoto would 'manufacture a recession': BairdIndeed, what are the costs of taking no action?
Labels: Canada, election, Environment
Dinosaurs were Chicken!
Or at least part of them was...
Scientists have managed to extract protein from a T-rex that was 68 million years old, (not so sure on its original birthday) the exciting part is that...
'When the scientists compared the protein sequence pattern to those of living animals in a database, it was found to be structurally similar to chicken collagen, and there were also similarities with frog and newt protein.'
Let's ignore the whole frog/newt thing, I think I have the problem solved...
The world didn't get cold... There was no massive meteor...
A T-rex sneezed and infected all the others with H5N1 (Bird Flu) or given the size of a T-rex H5N1 to the power of 500 (probably more)...
My point is...
Well i have no point...
Oh yes i do, we are running around somewhat scared of these chickens giving us the flu, when it could be much much worse...
We could be worried that we'd get the flu and then get eaten by the chicken!
Labels: Bird Flu, Dinosaurs
"Free and Fair" elections spark travel warning...
I haven't had much time free to post anything of late, it's been kind of crazy and will continue to be for a while... But, for those of you who keep up with international news, you should be aware that the Timor Leste presidential elections were held the other day. It looks to be heading for a run-off between PMJRH and Fretilin candidate aka Fmr PM Alkatari's puppet, Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres...
Official figures were something like this...
As counting from Monday's presidential poll progressed today, Mr Guterres had 28.79 per cent of the vote to Mr Ramos Horta's 22.6 per cent. Democratic Party candidate Fernando "La Sama" de Araujo was running third with 18.52 per cent.Whilst reports were off a relatively free and fair election, although Horta and de Aruaujo did mention allegations of Fretilin intimidation, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warned Australian Citizens not to go to Timor, whilst numerous warnings have been issued, this is the first time DFAT has outright said DO NOT TRAVEL.
FYI, the last time DFAT raised a travel warning for Timor, civil unrest broke out and people died, the First time DFAT put out a warning, two members of the TRIO called off their trip, which would have landed them there the morning 9 members of the police force were executed on the streets of Dilli.
The general parliament elections have been set for June 30, I have every intention of getting myself over there at some stage... Unless it gets raised higher.... (Which it can't)
Labels: DFAT, Misguided Trio, Timor-Leste Elections
Human Rights in Central Asia
Amnesty International has released its report on human rights in Central Asia.
"...Grave human rights violations routinely continue to be committed with virtual impunity...Beatings by law enforcement officers, especially in temporary pre-charge detention centres and in the streets, are still considered routine. Torture or other ill-treatment in detention continues to be widespread throughout the region and systematic and systemic in Uzbekistan."Central Asia Summary of Human Rights ConcernsJanuary 2006 -- March 2007 [AI]
Labels: Asia, Human Rights
Big PUN
Bad media puns (particularly in newspapers) are a dime a dozen. But this one from the Herald Sun which came across my gaze, is particularly.... ummm.... delicious (?).
John Howard hunts Rudd OctoberBreathe it in, cabbages, breathe it in...
Labels: Media Watch
Yup
I'm totally against April Fools Day.
Labels: Media Watch, Weird
Holy Knut Batman
Ok, well, I'm putting that title down to no caffeine yet!
For those of you in Australia who were fortunate to watch Media Watch last night, you probably already know this, for the rest of the world, I wonder if it has been bought to your attention!
Recent Worldwide headlines about crackpot animal rights activists calling for 'Death to Knut'... Knut is of course the pathetically cute polar bear increasing Zoo visits in Germany... Media Watch went to great lengths last night, to explain just how much of a scam it really was...
You can't have missed the story of poor, sweet Knut rejected at birth and raised by a zookeeper only to face calls that he be given a lethal injection.
Journalists were queuing up to talk about those unfeeling animal liberationists.Knut made headlines around the world when activists insisted that he'd be better dead than raised by humans.— Channel 9 (Adelaide), News, 24th March, 2007
…made headlines last week when an animal rights activist suggested he be put down.— Channel 7 (Adelaide), News, 24th March, 2007
Stephanie Kennedy: Now animal rights campaigners argue Knut should be put down...— ABC Radio News, 21st March, 2007
Bob Francis: There's always animal liberationists of some sort will make some sort of bloody comment wont they?— 5AA, 21st March, 2007
Tracy Grimshaw: Now to the polar bear cub at the centre of a fierce debate over whether it should live.— Channel 9, ACA, 21st March, 2007
Lee Lin Chin: ...and animal rights activists want it killed.— SBS, News, 24th March, 2007
Virginia Trioli: Bild newspaper quoted animal rights campaigner Frank Albrecht as saying "in fact the cub should have been killed". — ABC, Local Radio 702, 21st March, 2007
John Laws: As you can imagine the animal rights activists caused an uproar when they said the little bear should be killed...cause they're right aren't they? Anything that cute and cuddly has gotta be dangerous. Idiots. — 2UE, 23rd March, 2007
Well it was all a complete fiction.
The Complete explanation...
Animal rights activist Frank Albrecht (37, window fitter) continued: "Actually, the polar bear cub should be killed."Why? He refers to the Leipzig Zoo, where a baby sloth bear was given a lethal injection in December when its mother rejected it.— Bild magazine, Animal rights activist calls for his death, 26th January, 2007
Frank Albrecht had taken legal action against Leipzig Zoo for putting down another motherless cub.
He lost, when the court accepted the zoo's argument that raising the cub by human hand would be against the law of nature.
So Frank Albrecht raised the obvious parallels between the Leipzig cub and Knut.
For the full transcript go
here...
As Media Watch concluded we were told of death threats towards both the animal rights activist and the zookeeper, as host Monica Attard put it...
So congratulations to the world's media for saving a bear that was never facing death. And putting in mortal danger two animal loving men who never intended it any harm.
Labels: Knut, Media Watch
Karl Rove.... keep your day job, rapper
I know he's Karl Rove, but I got that "I'm embarassed for you" feeling while watching this.
March 29 - White House advisor Karl Rove grabbed the spotlight Wednesday night at the Annual Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner. Word.
*I do note M. Rove may have perfected the
penguin dance, if you watch carefully.
*I'm totally breaking out the Karl Rove dance next time we go out.
Labels: Washington DC, Weird, Whoopsies
