A couple of days ago, I wrote about the Norrie, who became the first non-gendered person in the world. It's an interesting topic as it challenges how we view the world and its people.
Today, the Sydney Morning Herald (sourced from AAP) reported that the non-gendered status has now been withdrawn. Excerpt
Norrie, who famously became the first person in the world deemed neither male nor female, has now had the certificate confirming the gender-neutral status withdrawn.
NSW's Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages deemed invalid the certificate it issued on February 25 which established the 48-year-old's sex as "non specified".
It says it cancelled Norrie's "recognised details certificate" after receiving legal advice it was invalid.
"When I got the call on Tuesday I was absolutely devastated. I felt like I had been killed," Norrie told AAP on Thursday.
"My identity has gone all over the world ... (now the) attorney-general's taking back what they sold to me.
"If I sell you something by mistake ... I can't say: `Oh no, I have re-thought that. I didn't mean to do that.' I can't take it back off you."
Norrie, who only uses one name, wants to know why the registry didn't seek legal advice before issuing the certificate.
"Three weeks after they issued it and I go public ... somehow they get legal advice telling them they didn't have the right to issue it in the first place," Norrie said.
NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos told parliament on Thursday his office made some inquiries about the certificate after the issue was "ventilated" in the media.
He said legal advice provided to the registry said "the registrar may only issue a recognised detail certificate or a new birth certificate following a change of sex in either male or female gender".
It is such a step backwards in acknowledging the reality of the diversity of gender identity. Too many people don't fit exactly into society's accepted stereotypes.
I'm still perplexed about the claims of 'socialized' health care by those engaging in scare campaigns with respect to health care reforms in the United States.
Existing services that can be considered to be 'socialized' include education and public transport.
Why should taxpayers who do not have children subsidise the education of those who do have children? Why should governments fund and provide education when there are plenty of private providers who can do it? Why should those who drive cars subsidise public transport?
It is not just about economics. You can't pick and choose.
Why not dispense with government altogether? The military? Just hire private contractors and mercenaries. But who will pay for it?. Foreign policy? Let the think tanks sort it out and come up with a committee.
Why bother collecting taxes? Let consumers pay for what they consume.
It's easy to come up with slogans, but harder to articulate the logic behind such arguments.
Reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, 48-year old Norrie (no surname) was issued with an official identity certificate identifying its* sex or gender as 'not specified'. According to SMH, Norrie " identifies as neuter and uses only a first name, the first in the state to be neither man nor woman in the eyes of the NSW government."
*Norrie uses the term 'zie'.
Norrie (photo by Wolter Peeters for SMH)
The government's social security provider Centrelink is in the process of finding a way for its computer system to allow for a neither (male/female) option for sex. The last official census in 2006 has never allowed for another option to male/female. It will be interesting to see whether the Australian Bureau of Statistics considers the issue for the 2011 census.
Many forms also ask for the honorific title of Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss, unless one has a gender-neutral one like Prof/Dr/Rev or other military rank titles. Perhaps these are also rather unnecessary.
In India, the 'third' gender was recently granted by the government as 'O' for others. In Pakistan, the 'third' gender was recently officially recognised as 'hijra' for mainly transexuals and 'eunuchs'. New South Wales' 'not specified' is not quite a 'third' gender but rather no gender at all.
Meanwhile, BBC News reported about gynandromorphous chickens that are both male and female, and new findings by researchers about factors determining sexual development (Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh; Nature).
photo from the Roslin Institute
Note that there is no suggestion being made to link Norrie to chickens, other than emphasising that in nature the male/female binary is not always clearly defined.
However, male/female questions will always be asked for in forms; in the census, the data is required for demographic planning and to monitor gender equality in the provision of services and employment etc.
Just three days ago, zookeepers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo were mourning the apparent death of a baby elephant (in utero).
Taronga staff were greatly saddened today when it was confirmed that the Zoo’s expected second Asian Elephant calf has not survived a difficult labour.
Taronga’s Director, Cameron Kerr, said: “Keepers and veterinarians became aware in the early hours that despite round-the-clock care, the calf has not survived the labour. They’re now focussing on the next steps to support the mother, Porntip.
“Although we all knew that first deliveries are successful in only 50 percent of elephant births, everyone at the Zoo was hoping that our second birth would be successful.”
“Even though they knew the risks, the elephant keepers and veterinarians have been very distressed by the outcome. Their first thoughts are now for Porntip as they work together to support her.”
Miraculously, yesterday the zoo announced the live birth of the elephant calf
“Advice from world elephant reproduction expert, Dr Thomas Hildebrandt of the Berlin Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Health is that such an outcome after a protracted labour has never been seen before. He said the birth will completely re-write the elephant birth text books.”
Dr Vogelnest said: “The early indications are that the calf survived the protracted labour in a coma. That unconscious state would explain the complete absence of any vital signs during all the checks and examinations we conducted during the labour and led us to believe the calf had not survived.”
Elephant Manager, Gary Miller, said: “When the keepers learned the calf had survived this morning, the looks of disbelief on our faces were quite a picture. We couldn’t believe that this could be true.”
Taronga Zoo’s newborn male Asian Elephant calf continued to make progress overnight.
His dedicated keepers, who monitored the newborn throughout the night, were delighted that the calf has begun to suckle from his mother, Porntip, unassisted and moving around without help.
This is an encouraging sign after he survived a protracted labour before being delivered alive against the odds yesterday morning at 3.27 am.
You can keep track of the baby elephant's via the zoo's elephant blog.
Photos from Taronga Zoo by Bobby Jo Vial
The elephants at the zoo appear to be very well looked after. They probably have a better life than many of the domesticated elephants in Thailand, with many eking out a living with their mahouts, begging for food in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
95 per cent of elephants in Thailand are domesticated and privately 'owned'; considered to be livestock. There are reports that the elephant population in Thailand now numbers under 300. A hundred years ago, it was estimated to be around 100,000.
To celebrate the centenary of Samuel Barber's birth (9 March 1910), Robert Kapilow on NPR Music talked about what made Barber's Adagio for Strings so great.
Extract from NPR
Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is one of the most solemn and evocative pieces of American music. Originally the slow movement of Barber's string quartet, the music was orchestrated for a larger group of strings, and in that version it was championed by conductor Arturo Toscanini, who conducted the world premiere in a live radio broadcast in 1938. Since then, the Adagio has often been called upon to serve in times of great emotional stress, as well as at funerals of important Americans such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Leonard Bernstein.
Commentator, pianist and composer Rob Kapilow says that the kind of catharsis the piece goes through is actually the kind of catharsis that a funeral is about.
"It starts from incredible sadness, builds to an incredible climax of intensity, and then finally reaches a kind of serene acceptance, which is completely appropriate for those occasions," he says.
From the very beginning of the piece, Kapilow says, you get the perfect mood.
"It starts off with just a single note," he says. "And it's so pure, it's as if that note somehow was there forever."
So Barber lets you sit there, with that one note on the violin, for an incredibly long time, and then the note gets drenched with the emotion of a rich chord in the strings. Finally it has to move, Kapilow says, and it starts this lovely first phrase, which seems to take forever.
Emotion, Clearly Calculated
What makes it great," Kapilow says, "is that beneath all this emotion, it is one of the most clearly calculated and strongly simple and direct constructions of any piece."
Kapilow says the melody, which sounds so emotional, is "completely mathematical."
From Leonard Slatkin also conducted the BBC Orchestra at the Albert Hall on 15 September 2001
Robert Kapilow's 'deconstruction' is the best analysis I have read/heard about this wonderful piece of music. It is certainly one of my most favourite classical pieces of the modern era.
I have the 1997 recording of mixed pieces (Amazon), which includes capella, strings, flute etc versions.
There are some versions I don't like, particularly if the tempo appears too agitato for an adagio.
Today is International Women's Day. It is also 40 years since the first publication of Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch, an important work to the feminist movement.
The Monthly is an Australian national monthly journal about politics, society and the arts, edited by Ben Naparstek who at 23 years of age when appointed, created marvel and shock in publishing circles.
To mark 40 years of The Female Eunuch, The Monthly published an article by well known Australian writer Louis Nowra in which he questioned whether Greer actually understood women and also criticised her appearance and character.
Needless to say, the feminist/women's movement (and friends) reacted
Pru Goward, a former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, also decided to wade into the furore. Though, one must question her motive given that she is now a politician in the NSW state parliament.
Still, Greer has the last word (in The Age). 40 years later, inequality is still very much an issue. Feminism is still relevant.
When Martin was a back neighbour in Lil's house, he'd give me buckets of lemons off the tree and I would make Moroccan style preserved lemons with them, using rock salt, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves and peppercorns. I never thought to make something sweet with the lemons.
Most lemon curd recipes instruct you to stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. I find that stirring lightly with a whisk introduces just a little more lightness into the curd, making it slightly less solid and more wobbly.
Makes 2 small jam jars zest and juice of 4 unwaxed lemons 200g sugar 100g butter 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk
Lemon Curd. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin
Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter, cut into cubes, into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the basin doesn't touch the water. Stir with a whisk from time to time until the butter has melted.
Mix the eggs and egg yolk lightly with a fork, then stir into the lemon mixture. Let the curd cook, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes, until it is thick and custard-like. It should feel heavy on the whisk.
Remove from the heat and stir occasionally as it cools. Pour into spotlessly clean jars and seal. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
With all that sugar in it, it should last a couple of months. Nigel Slater also has a recipe for lemon curd and orange parfait.
I love lemon curd. Rather than maple syrup on pancakes, I would spread lemon curd on it. I also like it with lemon juice sprinkled lightly with sugar.
The bartender seems to be confused by what the customer is asking and wanting, but strangely, I can identify with the customer's logic. It's quite clear really.
Most of the time, we communicate with people in simple linear terms so as to be understood. It's not really worth confusing other people if you have a multitrack mind, which is entirely different to multitasking, which is also nearly impossible.
Ethnobotanist James Wong, presenter of BBC's Grow Your Own Drugs was featured on NPR's All Things Considered speaking to Melissa Block about his book of the same name
No, we're not talking about the illicit kind. We're talking about a living pharmacy of plants from your own backyard: fennel and rose hips; echinacea and dandelion; horse chestnuts and nettles.
Wong is an ethnobotanist. He trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London, and he's written a medicinal recipe book called Grow Your Own Drugs, an offshoot of his BBC television series.
Plant Prejudice
In his book, Wong looks at plants as bright chemical factories.
"I think so many people have this stereotyped idea of what herbal medicine is," Wong tells NPR's Melissa Block.
He adds, "I think they've very much got a big black line in their minds that separates serious, conventional, tested, scientific medicine on one side and slightly airy, fairy, away-with-the-hippies — you know — natural-but-probably-doesn't-work, plant-based medicine on the other."
But that "black line," Wong says, is a cultural idea — not a scientific one.
"To me as a scientist, whether a chemical is found within a pill or the cells of plant is really irrelevant — that's just packaging," he said.
Hijacking Plant Weapons
The recipes in Wong's book offer remedies for a wide range of ailments — from sore throats to hot flashes to head lice.
"As with all herbal remedies, they don't necessarily come with guarantees. And if you've tried conventional stuff and it hasn't [worked], I don't think there's any harm in giving it a go," Wong says.
Wong says humans have been battling with insects for only a few thousand years. Plants, however, have been at war with insects for millions of years.
"Over that huge period, there's been time for them to evolve all sorts of unusual strategies, many of which are natural chemical weapons — insecticides — that exist in the environment that can be used in all manner of ways," he says.
In his recipes, Wong says he hijacks what plants have evolved for themselves, and he uses that to treat humans and animals.
Be A Responsible Experimenter
Wong offers a few caveats: Know what plants you're using. Also, don't self-diagnose.
"There are all sorts of interesting solutions that are found in the plant world, but you need to be responsible. You need to make sure that you have a proper diagnosis," he says.
Wong is not against conventional medicine. In fact, he says he has no qualms popping aspirin. But he says people can consider herbal medicine as part of the solution.
"It's very much not about abandoning conventional medicine," Wong says. "It's almost like a useful complement to it."
I enjoyed watching the show a few months ago. I am so over these television celebrity chefs. The antidote is a television celebrity scientist who cooks!
From the 2009 Christmas special - making anti-anxiety saffron egg nog (BBC - producer Lucy Hooper, executive producer Dan Adamson)
Recipe for the anti-anxiety saffron egg nog from BBC
500ml whole milk 2 bay leaves 36 threads / 3 pinches saffron 2 strips orange rind 3 tbsp golden syrup 200ml single cream 3 eggs 150ml white rum Grated fresh nutmeg, to serve
1. Pour the milk, bay leaves, saffron, orange rind, golden syrup and cream into a pan, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve.
2. Break the eggs into a glass heat-proof bowl, then slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture.
3. Place the bowl above a pan of boiling water and heat gently, stirring, until the mixture thickens to a custardy consistency. Then take it straight off the heat.
4. Whisk in the rum, then pour the mixture into a jug. Cool, then leave to stand in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before serving.
5. Serve over ice with grated nutmeg.
USE: Drink no more than 1 wineglass a day.
CAUTION: Contains alcohol.
STORAGE: Keep in the refrigerator. Will last for 2 weeks.
Aside from the cooking, he's really cool to watch when he gets really excited in the garden
You can read his blog with the Royal Horticultural Society My Garden online community. James Wong is also a partner in Amphibian Designs.
Greece is suffering from a massive debt burden and facing bankruptcy. It is likely that Germany will need to support a large scale bail out. There is also a suggestion that Greece give up something in return, like a few islands at least. From Bild
Auch wenn es vielleicht verrückt klingt: Wenn wir den Griechen doch noch mit Milliarden Euro aushelfen müssen, sollten sie dafür auch etwas hergeben – z. B. ein paar ihrer wunderschönen Inseln. Motto: Ihr kriegt Kohle. Wir kriegen Korfu.
According to Professor Clifford Nass from Stanford University, research shows that there is no evidence that people who multitask achieve more. From Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, August 24, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0903620106 abstract
Cognitive control in media multitaskers
1. Eyal Ophira, 2. Clifford Nass,1 and 3. Anthony D. Wagnerc
1. Symbolic Systems Program and 2. Department of Communication, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2050; and 3. Department of Psychology and Neurosciences Program, Jordan Hall, Building 420, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2130
Edited by Michael I. Posner, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, and approved July 20, 2009 (received for review April 1, 2009)
Chronic media multitasking is quickly becoming ubiquitous, although processing multiple incoming streams of information is considered a challenge for human cognition. A series of experiments addressed whether there are systematic differences in information processing styles between chronically heavy and light media multitaskers. A trait media multitasking index was developed to identify groups of heavy and light media multitaskers. These two groups were then compared along established cognitive control dimensions. Results showed that heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli and from irrelevant representations in memory. This led to the surprising result that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on a test of task-switching ability, likely due to reduced ability to filter out interference from the irrelevant task set. These results demonstrate that media multitasking, a rapidly growing societal trend, is associated with a distinct approach to fundamental information processing.
There is another simple proof that multitasking is a myth. People who use their phones for talking or texting while they are driving.
Busy people might think they are multitasking, but in reality they are merely juggling a number of tasks at the same time but undertaking one task at a time while in readiness of the next one.
I still think think after many years, this scene from Yes Minister is still funny. Whether there is still an element of truth in this in today's civil service is up to you to perceive.
Betty Oldham: "Look, Sir Humphrey, whatever we ask the Minister, he says is an administrative question for you, and whatever we ask you, you say is a policy question for the Minister. How do you suggest we find out what is going on?"
Sir Humphrey: "Yes, yes, yes, I do see that there is a real dilemma here. In that, while it has been government policy to regard policy as a responsibility of Ministers and administration as a responsibility of Officials, the questions of administrative policy can cause confusion between the policy of administration and the administration of policy, especially when responsibility for the administration of the policy of administration conflicts, or overlaps with, responsibility for the policy of the administration of policy."
Betty Oldham: "Well, that is a load of meaningless drivel. Isn't it?"
The UK Daily Telegraph and ITN have reported on the Israeli Ministry of Publicity's latest campaign - asking Israeli citizens to act as ambassadors to correct misconceptions about Israel
One would think that with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, they would have some notion of the concept of soft power. Of course, Mossad stuff ups don't exactly help.
I previously wrote about the possible effect of solar flare activity on earth.
Also from from NPR All Things Considered comes a report, again from Jon Hamilton, about the effect of solar storms
Extract of transcript
A massive solar storm could leave millions of people around the world without electricity, running water, or phone service, government officials say.
That was their conclusion after participating in a tabletop exercise that looked at what might happen today if the Earth were struck by a solar storm as intense as the huge storms that occurred in 1921 and 1859.
Solar storms happen when an eruption or explosion on the surface of the sun sends radiation or electrically charged particles toward Earth. Minor storms are common and can light up the Earth's Northern skies and interfere with radio signals.
Every few decades, though, the sun experiences a particularly large storm. These can release as much energy as 1 billion hydrogen bombs.
The exercise was conducted by the Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (attached to the Department of Commerce). The exercise found that satellites would be disrupted, affecting telecommunications including telephones and banking/credit card transactions. It would also affect the electricity grid, blowing transformers and in turn affecting water pumps and probably sewerage.
Solar flares and storms are related. Flares are regular occurrences while storms are intensive.
It might be time to revive Y2K disaster recovery plans on an ongoing basis.
Norway's curling team at the Vancouver Winter Olympics has attracted a lot of media and public attention, not over their performance, but by their attire.
Speed Kills: Highly Relativistic Spaceflight Would be Fatal for People and Instruments WILLIAM EDELSTEIN, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, ARTHUR EDELSTEIN, University of California, San Francisco
Stories, books and movies about space travel often describe journeys at near-light velocities. Such high speed is desirable, as the resulting relativistic time dilation reduces the duration of the trip, at least for the travelers, so that they can cover interstellar distances in a reasonable amount of time (by their own clocks) and live long enough to reach their destination. The relativistic rocket equation shows the enormous difficulty of achieving such velocities. As spaceship velocities approach the speed of light, interstellar hydrogen, although only present on average at a density of about 2 atoms per cm3, impinges on the spacecraft and turns into intense radiation (Purcell, 1963) that would quickly kill passengers and destroy instrumentation. In addition, the energy loss of ionizing radiation passing through the ship's hull represents an increasing heat load which necessitates large expenditures of energy to cool the ship. Preventing this irradiation by the use of material or electromagnetic shields is a daunting and, as far as we know, unsolvable problem. The presence of interstellar hydrogen is yet another formidable obstacle to interstellar travel.
It will be worth reading the entire paper published in Physical Review Letters. When I was a science undergraduate at the Australian National University, I enjoyed reading PRL, particularly the papers on superstring theory.
Near speed of light travel may not be possible, according to Edelstein and Edelstein, but this is based on current technology. In the future, 'dampeners' may be invented to absorb or deflect stray hydrogen atoms.
... what I started noticing as I read all these novels and looked at all the recent television shows featuring vampires is that their near-immortality isn't the most interesting thing about them. Almost all of these current vampires are struggling to be moral. It's conventional to talk about vampires as sexual, with their hypnotic powers and their intimate penetrations and their blood-drinking and so forth. But most of these modern vampires are not talking as much about sex as they are about power.
Take the CBS show Moonlight, which aired for only one season in 2007-2008. Mick St. John is a private investigator who is also a vampire. In one scene, he's trying to reason with a violent rogue vampire by telling him, "We have rules."
"This is the central question of so many vampire novels and films, " says Amy Smith, a professor of English at the University of the Pacific. "If you had power over people, how would you use it? 'We can do what we want' vs. 'We were human, how can you treat humans as if they were cattle?' "
People keep going back to these stories because they illustrate a tension that exists in real life, Smith says.
"For example, if you earn more money than someone else, you find that you have more power: How will you use it?"
Smith teaches courses on Jane Austen and the literature of war, as well as a course on vampires in literature. She says the issue of power is both personal and global.
"How do you treat someone you love, for example?" she says. "The core question is always: Does might make right?"
The vampire genre is hardly original and many of the more recent novels were written for teenagers, many of whom would probably find Anne Rice's series difficult to read with all the philosophical musings.
I certainly wouldn't be putting the Twilight series at the top of the list.
In any case, vampires don't need to be kissed. They should be staked. Right through the heart.
I previously wrote about Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's pit bull Daddy, who was a faithful companion and helped to rehabilitate many canines. Cesar, in his website, late on Saturday night, has advised of Daddy's passing.
In Memoriam: Daddy the Pit Bull
Cesar Millan, all his family and friends, his staff and volunteers, and dog lovers all around the world today will mourn the passing of one of the most loyal, trusting, well-balanced, and influential pit bull ambassadors the world has ever known. Daddy, Cesar’s longtime friend and partner in canine rehabilitation, died peacefully surrounded by family on Friday the 19th of February. He was sixteen years old.
He lived each day of those sixteen years happy and fulfilled as Cesar’s right-hand-“man,” helping to shape the behavior of entire generations of dogs by showing them the way to balance. He stood as champion for calm-submissive pit bulls everywhere, and was instrumental in helping to repair their image as violent, savage, uncontrollable beasts. He successfully battled cancer and weathered chemotherapy, and even got the opportunity to present at the 56th Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards!
His name is now added to that honorable roster of dogs gone by whose influence is still felt today, and which includes some of Cesar’s beloved childhood heroes: "Rin-Tin-Tin." "Lassie." … "Daddy."
He has been immortalized by Dog Whisperer fans in all mediums, from painting, to photographs, to charcoal drawings and papier-mâché sculpture. And, of course, he lives on in his work, reflected in the balance and calm-submission of his protégé Junior, the countless animals to whom he was a positive role model, and in the hearts and minds of everyone who knew him as a calm, sweet, and mellow example of a widely misunderstood breed.
In Loving Memory.
If you would like to honor Daddy’s memory and the contribution he made to improve the lives of other animals, you can make a donation to Daddy’s Emergency Animal Rescue Fund, which will provide assistance for dogs who are victims of abuse or violence, man-made disasters (hoarder and puppy mill rescues), and large-scale natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, and other natural catastrophes).
I enjoyed watching Daddy on Dog Whisperer. He seemed to be the most calm dog for a breed perceived and misunderstood as aggressive. After Kane died, I couldn't watch the show anymore as it was too painful. Daddy reminded me of Kane and vice versa.
My heart goes out to the Millan family.
You can leave a message of support to Cesar Millan on his website.
The opening ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics has sparked a national debate over the use of the French language amongst Canadians, with claims that there was not enough or that there was too much. Werner Patels was embarrassed and wrote in his blog
Turn to any news channel or open any newspaper, and one topic you’ll likely find discussed just about everywhere in Canada right now is the perceived slight of the French language at the Olympic Games in Vancouver. At the same time, letters pages in (Albertan and Western Canadian) newspapers are filling up with irate comments about how the “French should go home and shut up”.
I first became aware that there was an issue on the night of the opening ceremony, when my Twitter page started being inundated with angry comments about the use, not lack, of the French language. I decided then not to reply to or comment on any of them, because, frankly, they made me feel embarrassed and ashamed. Albertans tend to have a bad reputation in the rest of the country, and the last thing we need is to be known as French bashers (particularly in a province where, like in the rest of the country, the rate of functional illiteracy – in just one language! – now borders on fifty per cent).
Those who criticized the use of French at the Olympics proved only one thing: that they’re utterly uneducated and uninformed about what goes on in the world. The Olympics organization is an international organization, and its first and primary official language is French. Naturally, any official Olympics business is conducted in French first, and English second. So, when, for example, Canada’s Governor-General Michaëlle Jean spoke in French first and then switched to English, she merely adhered to the practices of the international organization. Now, though, many Canadians (in the West) appear to be calling for her head to roll over this “affront”.
The editors at La Presse (a daily published in Montreal) are not happy. I agree with them. In fact, I would go as far as suggesting that instead of the usual practice of alternating between French and English, they should have mangled it into Franglais.
The President met this morning at the White House with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China. The President commended the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government. The President stressed that he has consistently encouraged both sides to engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and was pleased to hear about the recent resumption of talks. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of a positive and cooperative relationship between the United States and China.
One official photograph of the event was publicly released, which is why all media reports are using the same picture.
The meeting was held in the Map Room, not the Oval Office, to play down the status of the meeting. There was no official welcome (or fanfare) and no media witnesses to the 'private' 70 minute meeting.
On February 18, 2010 (EST), the US side bent on arranging the meeting between President Obama and Dalai in the Map Room of the White House in disregard of the repeated solemn representations from the Chinese side. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also met with Dalai on the same day. The action of the US side has seriously interfered in China's internal affairs, seriously hurt the national feelings of the Chinese people, and seriously undermined China-US relations. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai has summoned the US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman for solemn representations.
Tibet is an inseparable part of the sacred Chinese territory and Tibet-related issues are purely China's internal affairs. China is firmly opposed to any meeting with Dalai by leaders or government officials of any country in whatever form. China is also resolutely opposed to the interference in China's internal affairs by any country or person under the pretext of Dalai-related issues. The words and deeds of Dalai in the past several decades have shown that he is not purely a religious figure, but a political exile engaged in long-term anti-China splittist activities under the disguise of religion. The approval of Dalai's visit to the US and the arrangement of meetings with the US leader and other government officials have severely violated the basic norms governing international relations, undermined the principles enshrined in the three China-US Joint Communiqués and China-US Joint Statement, and gone against the commitment of the US Government on different occasions that Tibet is a part of China and the US does not support "Tibet Independence". China hereby expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition.
The Chinese Government and people stand steadfast in their resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any attempt from any person to interfere in China's internal affairs under the Dalai issue is doomed to failure. China requests the US side to take China's position seriously, take prompt and effective measures to remove the malign impact, stop the connivance and support of the anti-China splittist forces for "Tibet Independence", and stop the interference in China's internal affairs by taking concrete actions to maintain the healthy and stable development of China-US relations.
Beijing should perhaps take some comfort in the fact that this visit was very much a low key affair compared to the last time.
President George W. Bush, joined by U.S. Senator Robert Byrd and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, presents the Congressional Gold Medal to The Dalai Lama at a ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (photo by Chris Greenberg, then employed at the White House)
There has been a wine substitution scandal of massive proportions. Apparently between 2005 and 2008, the Aude department of Languedoc (in the south of France), exported 160 million bottles of pinot noir per year when it only produced 67 million bottles per year. Most of the exports were to the United States. AFP has reported that merlot and syrah were substituted for pinot noir.
La répression des fraudes avait découvert la tromperie en mars 2008 lors d'un contrôle à la société Ducasse à Carcassonne. La fraude consistait à vendre au négociant américain Gallo du merlot et du syrah pour du pinot, presque deux fois plus cher. Des viticulteurs et des négociants du Languedoc Roussillon ont donc été épinglés, mais l'image de marque des vins de la région devrait en pâtir.
What is actually shocking is that American consumers mistook the taste of syrah and merlot for pinot noir. Only real wine connoisseurs actually drink pinot noir, so we do not need to feel sympathetic to those who purchased the mislabelled wine and did not even notice the difference.
The real stuff would have been wasted on them anyway.
Also known as Shrove Tuesday in English-speaking countries and even Pancake Day, it is traditionally a day of feasting before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the fasting season of Lent.
In Germany, the celebration is known as Karneval, Fastnacht or Fasching, depending on the region.
In France, it is called Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). In Australia, Mardi Gras has a completely different meaning, devoid of the original Christian religious reason, but then so are celebrations in New Orleans.
Finally, the footy is back and it was in town too, on yesterday afternoon! Some terrible umpiring decisions cost my team the game, although the third quarter was dismal. It rained all morning and early afternoon, finally clearing just before the game. The oval surface was really wet.
Nine pointers: Western Bulldogs: R Griffen. Brisbane: J Sherman. Goals: Western Bulldogs: A Everitt 2 A Cooney J Roughead L Jones. Brisbane Lions: J Sherman 2 B Fevola J Brennan J O'Brien.
Best: Western Bulldogs: A Cooney D Giansiracusa M Hahn L Gilbee B Moles. Brisbane Lions: J Sherman T Rockcliffe A Buchanan T Johnstone J Redden C Stiller.
There were a lot of new faces/numbers following a busy period of trading and delisting at the end of last season. Hence there were some pleasant surprises.
photos by me
Charmo in the ruck contest - some nice tap work from him
I wrote about "Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore in late December 2009. It seems he has struck again. Reported by Islands' Sounder, excerpt
An airplane theft and a break-in at an Eastsound business could be linked to alleged serial burglar Colton Harris-Moore, authorities say.
On the morning of Feb. 11, an airplane taken from Skagit County was found abandoned at the Eastsound airport, and employees at Homegrown Market and Deli walked into a nightmare: the store was broken into, vandalized, and sustained damage to internal security systems.
“He took everything in the dessert cabinet. He took a whole tray of raw croissants with meat. I guess he has an oven to use,” said Homegrown accounts manager Sherri Pearson. “He discovered our monitor for our security system, broke that open and was trying to take out the parts. He put the monitor in the sink and ran water over it; (owner) Kyle found the water running in the morning.”
Large footprint outlines were drawn all over the floor of the store; each one is around three feet long. A parting message of “Cya!” was left by the front door.
From Monocle magazine (one of my all time favourite monthly reads) comes a report about a new innovation in the capsule hotel called 9 Hours, located in Kyoto.
A few NASA (and non-NASA) astronauts are also on Twitter and have been tweeting from the International Space Station (ISS). According to the website, currently at ISS are astronauts
The giant boxing kangaroo flag will continue to fly in the athletes' village in Vancouver after Australian Olympic bosses reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The flag hangs over two storeys of the apartment block where the Australians are staying.
The IOC wanted it removed but Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates says he has reached a compromise and it can now stay in place for the duration of the Winter Olympic Games.
"But we will need to register the boxing kangaroo with the IOC as the third identification we have," he said.
Australian athletes have welcomed the decision.
Australian gold medallist Anna Meares says the boxing kangaroo flag is an iconic symbol that has become a team mascot at Olympic Games.
"It's something that really is held dearly to all Australians," she said.
"It's great to see that it can stay."
While it is already an Australian Olympic trademark, the boxing kangaroo will now be registered with the IOC along with Australia's national flag and the coat of arms.
The IOC initially asked the Australian team to take down the banner because it was deemed too commercial.
Calls to ban the boxing kangaroo flag was branded as scandalous, ridiculous and infantile.
The boxing kangaroo became Australia's sporting symbol in 1983 when it was used in the successful America's Cup.
John Longley was part of the crew.
"It was an image that we created, to be a symbol for what we stood for, which was the red gloves," he said.
"It used to have a red eye and the puffed up chest and so forth. It was aggressive - we're taking the world on."
The AOC has since bought the trademark and now the boxing kangaroo is seen among crowds at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and other major sporting events.
Duh! Australia's Olympic mascot. And a very iconic one at that. Hard to believe that the IOC deemed it 'too commercial'. Hello, the Olympic movement was commercialised years ago.
Given up by his birth mother when he was 6 weeks old, Scott was adopted by Helen and Rod Fujita and raised in Camarillo, Calif. Helen, a retired secretary, is white. Rod, a retired high school teacher and coach, is a third generation Japanese-American. He was born inside an Arizona internment camp during World War II. ...
Many adopted kids grapple to come to terms with who they are and where they came from, especially those raised by parents who don't look like them. But Fujita says he doesn't struggle with his identity, never has. First as a child and now as a football player, his path to success has always been about the same thing: defining for himself who he is. "That's the connection point for Scott," Lillie says. "You choose to be what you are. It's not your location, your obstacles or your skin. You. You choose. He learned that from his family."
Not that he wasn't tested. When his parents took him and older brother, Jason, who was also adopted, to stores, they got the occasional odd looks. Sometimes Scott had to show his ID to substitute teachers who didn't believe that his last name belonged to him. And he ate so much rice with chopsticks that he was 8 before he knew what to do with a baked potato. But he shrugged off most of it, confident in thinking of himself as half Japanese at heart. To his dad, it was even simpler: "American, Japanese. To me he's always just been my son."
Every Jan. 1, the Fujitas celebrated Shogatsu, Japanese New Year's. Every May 5, Rod would raise a koi flag on a bamboo pole in the backyard in honor of the Japanese national holiday of Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day). But because Rod had become, as he says, "Americanized," most of Scott's knowledge of Japanese culture came from Lillie and Nagao, Scott's grandfather.
Most people are naturally curious about other people's names, particularly if they don't look the part. There are always stories that challenge assumptions.
Given that migration from other places go back many generations, it shouldn't be surprising what anybody looks like. In Australia, Josh Quong Tart is a young actor in a television soap, descended from Mei Quong Tart - for people who don't know the history of Sydney, he is probably forever explaining his name.
With the United States 2010 Census coming up on 1 April, it would be interesting how Scott would respond to the question (9) about race. Ultimately it shouldn't matter, but the question needs to be asked in order to measure the level of discrimination in the provision of services, in employment and housing etc.
Reported by Fox News (Kansas City), some groups such as the American Family Association's spin off One Million Moms and the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families are outraged over a window shop display by Armani Exchange - A|X, claiming that this is offensive.
Not surprisingly, Fox News pandered to the extremist conservative moral minority by reporting this non-issue. Thankfully, other members of the public interviewed by Fox News did not agree with the extreme views.
Here is the so called 'offensive' display
From One Million Moms
OMM typically focuses on issues that air on television, but there is one other issue we cannot ignore any longer: fashion designers using scantily dressed models in advertisements who have recently put their focus on threesomes or same-s*x couples. This is not okay!
Malls, where teens hang out, have retailers whose window displays poison our children with 10-foot posters that are nothing but soft p*rn. In particular, Armani Exchange has recently displayed Valentine's posters with partially dressed "couples" holding one another. These couples consist of two men, a man and woman, and two women. The women are scantily dressed while it is questionable if the men have any clothes on at all. Two of these models are used a couple of times to represent bis*xuals. If it could get any worse the text written is "SHARE THE LOVE." (An asterisk '*' is used to ensure our emails get through to those who have signed up for our alerts. Otherwise specific words referenced would be blocked by some Internet filters.)
Not every local mall has an Armani Exchange, but we need to take a stand since A|X is one of the fashion leaders and this is becoming a popular trend. You may view these on their website at www.armaniexchange.com. WARNING! Pictures are offensive.
Seriously, there is nothing offensive about people showing affection or love. There is also nothing offensive about being shirtless.
Perhaps these easily outraged people may wish to consider whether it would be more appropriate for them to live in Saudi Arabia or other countries where there exists a morality police.
