Gaddafi has totally lost the plot. He is clearly delusional and not in complete control of his marbles.
BBC News – Libya protests: Gaddafi says ‘all my…, posted with vodpod
February 28, 2011
Lady GaGa releases much awaited Born This Way video
Because this is on Vevo it may not be viewable in all parts of the world. Apologies.
February 28, 2011
Congrats to PS22 at the OSCARs
Blogged about them for ages – so happy for the amazing kids of PS22 . Well done!
February 27, 2011
Globe and Mail: Canada imposes wide range of sanctions against Libya
The Globe and Mail reports that Canada’s second lamest PM in recent history ( only because Mulroney lasted longer) has finally indicated what Canada plans to do about Libya’s regime.
“Mr. Harper said Canada will go beyond the UN resolution.
“Our government will impose an asset freeze on, and a prohibition of financial transactions with the government of Libya, its institutions and agencies, including the Libyan Central Bank.
“These actions will help restrict the movement of, and access to money and weapons for those responsible for the violence against the Libyan people.”
The 192-member UN General Assembly is meeting Tuesday to vote on a UN Human Rights Council recommendation to suspend Libya from the world organization’s top human rights body.
Mr. Harper said Mr. Gadhafi has betrayed his own people.
Read the rest here.
February 27, 2011
Young T&T activists speak out against the death penalty.
Faced with a major problem with serious crime in Trinidad & Tobago, the current government is ( rather predictably) pushing for the reimplementation of the death penalty. The penalty has never left the books but following the Privy Council decision in the case of Pratt and Morgan , governments have been unable to execute anyone for many years. To circumvent this the government is now moving to amend legislation to essentially limit the time frame for appeals to 18 months. On the face of it this flies in the face of due process but that is another matter .
A recent survey indicated that 91% of the population are in favor of a return to the death penalty. In an interesting turnabout, when asked if they would support the possibility of the death penalty if an innocent person might end up hanged the support level dropped to 35%.
The Trinidad Express has an interesting look at the survey and the death penalty internationally here.
There are a few voices locally such as Verna St. Rose Greaves who have taken a strong moral stand against the return to hangings in T&T . Even more heartening are a few young activists who are also speaking out like twins ( so yes, you are seeing correctly) Brendon and Brandon O’Brien. Check out their videos and spread the word.
February 27, 2011
The Toronto Star: HIV/AIDS and accelerated aging.
Toronto Star, February 27, 2011
A really interesting and thought provoking article in the Toronto Star by Susan Pigg looking at the phenomenon of accelerated aging in people with HIV/AIDS and on medication. Never even heard about it before.
“Toronto’s HIV/AIDS experts and activists are growing increasingly alarmed by “a hidden epidemic” — infected people who have lived decades longer than anyone imagined and are being hit with a host of aging illnesses in their 30s, 40s and 50s. They include dementia, cardiovascular and liver disease, cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis, emphysema and kidney problems.
Researchers are still puzzling over the reasons — whether it’s the disease itself, the long-term effects of the medications, or it’s that compromised immune systems are simply breaking down.
“HIV is no longer a death sentence, it’s a chronic disease,” says Dr. Ann Stewart, medical director at Canada’s first free-standing HIV/AIDS hospice, Casey House. Doctors used to urge patients to get their affairs in order. Now they talk about the likelihood of living to retirement.
“That’s a message of hope,” says Stewart. “But what exactly that means is also a big experiment.”
Read the rest in the Toronto Star here.
February 27, 2011
Our remarkable universe – solar flare video
Via Russia Today.
“NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory filmed images of a large solar flare on February 24 2011. The (M3.6 rating) event is not the strongest solar flare ever recorded but was still big enough to kick up a huge tendril of plasma, known as a solar prominence. The entire eruption lasted for about 90 minutes. Thursday’s flare was the latest in a recent series of of sun storm emissions, but its blast was directed away from the Earth and is not expected to pose any disruption to satellites or other electronic systems. Scientists use a three tier system to classify solar flares; Class X are the largest and most powerful, Class M are medium but still considered very large, while Class C are the weakest..”"
