Friday, October 27, 2006

I'm begining the slow and onerous process of transferring my old blog posts (at least, those of note or use...or that amuse me) over to my shiny new blog.

I should have no objection to go over the same life from its beginning to the end: requesting only the advantage authors have, of correcting in a second edition the faults of the first. (Benjamin Franklin)

They will be tagged accordingly.

Actor Fox sparks debate, support for stem cells (REUTERS)
Seriously? People have nothing better to do with their time than hassle Michael J. Fox about "faking" his Parkinsons? How anyone can fault him for supporting candidates who support research which could save his life, and thousands of other lives, is totally beyond my understanding. And even if he did take or not take his meds to slightly increase his visible symptoms...as far as I'm concerned, that's no different that showering and putting makeup on for a job interview. He still has the symptoms, they're still debillitating, and I don't see why Rush Limbaugh and other right-of-sane pundits should be spared the effects.


Israeli bedside manner helps Ethiopian AIDS doctors (REUTERS)
Dear Israel:
More of this, less of the other, please? That would be awesome, thanks.
No, seriously. We never hear news like this in Toronto, and I know it exists, but never hearing it makes it harder to temper the occaisional erruption of anti-occupation rage. We never hear about their humanitarian works, or peace campaigns, or similar, and it makes the pro-/anti-Zionist debate in Canada so misinformed, black-and-white, and ugly.


Taliban accuse NATO of genocide (REUTERS)
While I'm not a fan of the massive collateral damage accrued by Western forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's a far freaking cry from "genocide." When even citizens of the occupying forces speak of colonialism, imperialism, and hegemony, not to mention breaches of Geneva and UN conventions, why wouldn't the Taliban (who, let's all remember, are not the peace-loving populist voice of Afghanistan) use the same discourse to discredit their enemy?