Hector Monsegur, also known as "Sabu"

Just six months ago, the leader of one of the most infamous hacking collectives in the world was defending his independence.

The 28-year-old father of two had disappeared for a few months, and it was rumored he was working with the feds. He vehemently denied the accusation to Gawker’s Adrian Chen, who managed to get him on the phone in September. Sabu simply said, “that’s bullshit”. A very concise defense. 

But the FBI revealed Tuesday that this leader, known as Sabu, had been working with them for “several months”. Information he had provided to the authorities led to the arrests of five members of his own hacking collective, LulzSec, a group that has claimed responsibility for attacking the likes of, among others, Sony, Fox, IBM, the Brazilian government, the CIA and the FBI.

Now, Sabu, otherwise known as Hector Monsegur, is facing a backlash from the community he once represented. Gawker posted photos of him, branded with the word “traitor” in all capitals. Hacking collective Anonymous, a group from which many LulzSec members came, hacked into Panda Security, an anti-virus firm, and posted the following open letter on their website:

“Yeah yeah, we know, Sabu snitched on us. As usually happens FBI menaced him to take his sons away. We understand, but we were your family too. (Remember what you liked to say?)… It’s sad and we can’t imagine how it feels having to look at the mirror each morning and see there the guy who shopped their friends to police.”

The threat of going to jail for several years on a plethora of charges and leaving his two kids behind was apparently too much for Hector/Sabu to bear.

Many have supported the efforts of LulzSec and Anonymous, as many see their efforts as humorous campaigns that expose the vulnerabilities of various companies and governments. More recently, the hacks have been often been of a political nature, working to expose corruption and express opposition to the War on Drugs, as well as to back whistleblower site WikiLeaks.

The hacks however have reportedly caused billions of dollars in damage to governments, banks and companies, though this figure has never really been explained. Of course it costs money and manpower to restore sites and fix system vulnerabilities, and pushing these governments and companies to do this is something for which many security professionals have applauded LulzSec.

It seems though, with the recent hack on Panda Security, that despite the arrest and detainment of five prominent LulzSec hackers and Sabu, the hacks won’t stop. One would suspect that the hacks might become more widespread or increase in severity, as a symbol of the collective’s continued strength.

The arrest of Sabu and the LulzSec hackers won’t make companies, governments and firms less vulnerable to attacks. If anything, for the next little while, Anonymous will look to prove its strength and independence from the “traitor” by hacking again. And again. And again.

And others will likely follow. Especially at a time where anti-government sentiment, in every corner of the world, is at an astonishing high.

Bradley Manning, KimDotcom, now Sabu. The authorities are getting who they want, but the all out spree is going to inspire others to pick up where these men left off. These emulators will likely work harder to make sure they cover their tracks, just to stick it to the feds.

UPDATE: Looks like I was right. Anonymous claiming responsibility for shutting down the Vatican’s website, CNN reports.

The Egyptians weren’t the first peoples in the Arab world to rise up against an oppressive government in 2011. Before that Facebook group was made, the people of Tunisia rose up against their (now former) president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, kicked him out, and have had an acting president since mid-December.

Egypt got so much attention because of the sheer scale of the protests, the millions that marched and demanded democracy, and the fact that they are a major receiver of U.S. aid. But now, as Part I of Egypt’s fight for freedom has come to a close, several of its Arab counterparts are learning from it and Tunisia’s example.

Here is a list of the top five countries (in no particular order) in the Middle-East facing a major uprising against oppression and for democracy. And you can bet, a lot of it will be organized on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Tunisia

Just like in Egypt, this fight isn’t over. It all started when Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire, an act of self-immolation that has been emulated in other countries as a symbol of governmental oppression and humiliation. Now, even though Ben Ali has stepped down, Tunisians are protesting against high food prices and high unemployment, and are trying to put together a reliable temporary government until a free and fair election is held later this year for the first time since Ali took office in 1987.

2. Bahrain

Bahrain has an overwhelming Shiite majority that wants more of a say in governmental procedures and a larger share of economic opportunities. They want their king Sheikh Hamid bin Isa al-Khalifa to rewrite the country’s constitution to include those amendments, and an end to the 39-year reign of prime minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa (the uncle of the king). Add that to concerns over corruption, torture and the jailing of 500 presumably innocent Shiites last year and Bahraini’s have plenty to protest against. The government has tried to stop protesters by offering each family nearly $2,700 each, but this movement can’t be bought. There have been clashes between protesters and pro-government forces here, too. Forces fired on the funeral procession for a fallen protester in the capital Manama early Feb. 15, and killed at least one person, Al Jazeera reports.

3. Iran

We all remember the green revolution; the 2009 uprising after the results of a disputed election that put President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back in power. But now that fire has been rekindled, thanks largely to Egypt’s success in overthrowing Hosni Mubarak, and Iranians are now back in the streets. Ironically, after Mubarak was overthrown, Ahmadinejad’s government supported the protesters, but are now banning their own people from voicing their opinions in the streets of Tehran. There were many clashes in Tehran on February 14th, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters who were chanting “death to a dictator,” in reference to Ahmadinejad. Iranians aren’t happy at their country’s hypocrisy, and while the people obviously support the Egyptian cause, they can hardly believe their government’s words of encouragement.

4. Algeria

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been in power since 1999, when he was elected amidst widespread allegations of fraud, as several candidates pulled out just before election day. This one is for democracy, much like Egypt’s, and on Feb. 13 hundreds of Algerian protesters were met by thousands of police who were deployed to stop the protest. The people want a legitimate government and an end to the state of emergency that has plagued the country for almost two decades, which President Bouteflika said he’d lift soon, according to Al Jazeera. Bouteflika also promised Algerians more political freedom, but that hasn’t stopped them from organizing a massive protest set for Feb. 19.

5. Yemen

Monday, Feb. 14 marked the fourth straight day of protests in the country, but the first day of major clashes between the people and the police. During a sit-in at Sanaa University, hundreds of protesters clashed with pro-government forces, where at least 17 were injured and 165 arrested. President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he would not run for re-election in 2013, but that hasn’t been enough to stop Yemenis from airing their grievances in the street. This protest is of special concern to the U.S., as the New York Times reports the movement has spread because of the president’s relationship with the U.S., and possibly his role in covering U.S. involvement in trying to eliminate the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda.

None of the above uprisings have reached numbers anywhere close to what was happening in Egypt. However many of the country’s populations are smaller and many of the protests are still in their infancies. Amazingly, these aren’t the only Mid-East countries rising up. Here are a list of countries and corresponding dates for their next planned major protests (via twitter user @Blindust): Libya Feb. 17, Morocco Feb. 20, Cameroon Feb. 23, Kuwait March 8.

Along with these, the people of Jordan, Syria and Sudan are standing up to governments they see as illegitimate.

For a near constant stream of updates on the situation in the Mid-East, you can watch Al Jazeera English live on their website by clicking here.

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has resigned as president after 18 days of protests by the country’s people, and 30 years as the country’s ruler.

The move was a surprise, as many thought Mubarak planned to step down yesterday during his speech. Emergency law however is still in place and will be until the military sees fit to remove it. The Supreme military council, now in control of the country, also asked protesters to return to their homes in an address on Egyptian state television.

Blast reported this morning that Mubarak left Cairo for Sharm-el Sheikh, a resort town a few hundred miles away from the capital.

The news was announced by appointed vice-president Omar Suleiman, in an address this morning: “My fellow citizens. At these hard circumstances our country is experiencing, President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak has decided to waive the office of the President of the Republic, and instructed the Supreme council of the Armed forces to run the affairs of the country. May God guide or steps.”

It is still unclear if elections will take place soon, of if their are plans to institute a civilian-controlled government.

However, today, the mood in the streets of Cairo has changed from anger and agitation, to joy and relief, now that the ruler the people so despised has finally given into their demands.

“Feb 11 is (a) Historic day in Egypt! We will celebrate it forever,” tweeted Egyptian Blogger Mahmoud Salem, 29, a 2004 graduate of Northeastern University, who has been active in the protests since the beginning.

Salem, who was nearly beaten to death in Tahrir Square last week, returned on Friday, victorious.

“People (are) jumping up and down. Everyone hugging. We did it. I wanna cry from happiness,” he tweeted.

Click here for a live stream of the celebration in Egypt from Al Jazeera English.

Contradiction in rhetoric and action is a pretty standard feature of foreign policy for countries around the world. We were reminded of that this week; while President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton were giving speeches about how Egypt‘s President Hosni Mubarak should listen to the demands of his people, Mubarak’s army was flying American-made jets over protests sites and tossing cans of “Made in USA” tear gas into the very crowds of people Obama and Clinton demanded Mubarak listen to.

Here’s the contradiction: while supporting a government that suppresses its people with nearly than $1.3 billion in military aid a year, you demand a change in that country’s ruling scheme, but only when the country’s people rise up and protest.

The gaffes don’t help either. Vice-president Joe Biden said it was too early for Mubarak to step down and called him “very responsible.” Later, adding this, “I hope Mubarak … is going to respond to some of the legitimate concerns that are being raised,” according to the linked article above. He hopes.

Yes, the US is now reevaluating the aid package it sends Cairo’s way every year, but only AFTER Egypt’s governmental actions have become worldwide knowledge. Only AFTER everyone knows the reality of Egypt’s political situation and its effect on society.

This is far from the worst regime the US has ever supported. But it isn’t the best, and that $1.3 billion could do a lot of good instead of what it’s currently doing. Helping to suppress a people utterly fed up with a hostile government.

Ps. I came across this video today that deserves a look. This was made in 2007, when Mubarak was in office for 26 years. It calls for an end to his regime. Very powerful.

In a move that should be emulated by all state governors, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed an emergency legislation last night in an effort to prevent members of Kansas’ infamous Westboro Baptist Church from picketing the funeral of Christina Green, the nine-year-old girl who was shot Saturday outside a Safeway in Tucson.

The law now outfits all funeral services in the Arizona with a protective 300-meter barrier from one hour before the service to one hour after it finishes.

Gov. Brewer released the following statement after signing the law, which was passed unanimously by Arizona legislature: “This legislation will assure that the victims of Saturday’s tragic shooting in Tucson will be laid to rest in peace with the full dignity and respect that they deserve.”

The attack last week, that killed six and wounded 14 others, including Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was praised by Westboro pastor Fred Phelps, who said he ”thank(s) God for the violent shooter.”

In a YouTube video posted on Jan. 9, Phelps said “God appointed the Afghanistan veteran to avenge himself on this evil nation,” referring to Jared Lee Loughner, the 22-year-old American charged in the shooting. Phelps goes on to call Loughner a “soldier hero” in the video.

The church also posted a press release, in which they claim ”God cut this child off,” referring to nine-year-old Green.

In the past, Westboro has picketed the funerals of Elizabeth Edwards, Michael Jackson and Matthew Shepard, the man who was beaten to death in Wyoming because of his homosexuality.

Social media is praised for its role in bringing people from all walks of life, from all over the world, together in one forum to discuss and debate both public and private matters.

But when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head today at a Safeway in Tucson, the ugly side of social media reared its head. Take a look at this comment left on Sarah Palin‘s Facebook page, where she posted condolences to Giffords’ family after the shooting. It’s from Facebook/Twitter user Mark Kerr:

“Go, Sarah! Gifford deserved to die. She was a liberal, a Jew, a health care reformer, an enemy of the NRA, pro abortion and pro gay. What happened to the map? One down and 16 to go.”

The map Kerr is referring to is a map Palin previously posted on her website, SarahPAC.com, that used crosshair-like symbols to pinpoint each House Democrat who voted for health care reform and was up for re-election in November’s midterms.

Gifford was on the list, which can be found here. The map has since been taken off Palin’s website.

On Twitter, many have made up their minds that Palin is to blame. The following is from Tom Colicchio:

“Sarah Palin had Rep Gifford in her crosshairs. She is now officially dangerous.”

The shooting has quickly become, at least on social media, a fight between the left and right, and an excuse for many anti-Palin citizens to speak their minds about her rhetoric.

Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive political website The Daily Kos, posted this tweet not long ago:

“Mission accomplished, Sarah Palin, http://is.gd/knNgl“

The link above leads to a blog post regarding Palin’s map of health care reform-supporting House Democrats.

His tweet quickly got a response from conservative Andrew Breitbart:

“For the love of God, @markos. Stop it. Don’t go there, trust me. Trust me. Trust me. You will not like the blow-back, I assure you.”

Many are criticizing the reaction, calling for everyone to be tactful during this time of crisis, especially since we now know a 9-year-old was tragically shot dead during the attack.

UPDATE 9:08 p.m. ET: The author of the infamous comment posted on Sarah Palin’s Facebook, Mark Kerr, has stated, repeatedly, on his Twitter account that he was being sarcastic. Click here to see.

Wikileaks. I know, I know, you’re probably sick of hearing about cables and embassies and what diplomat said what nasty thing about what leader. But, it’s only day four of nine in the latest Wikileaks saga, and there’s more to come next year regarding U.S. banks.

 There’s been a lot of chatter about whether what Wikileaks is doing is right, if it’s necessary, if it serves the public’s interest or just the public’s interest in gossip. I’ll leave that up to the readers to decide.

We’ve already heard one Canadian official call for the assassination of Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, and Mike Huckabee call for the death penalty for whomever leaked the documents.

But it isn’t all gossip. There are some key revelations in these leaks, like the Saudi King pressuring the U.S. to bomb Iran, the concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear program (the worst-kept secret, but the details are interesting) and China’s acceptance of a reunified Korea with Seoul as the main power.

Oh, and there’s the Iranian-American who flew into Tehran without problems, but had to sneak out of the country on horseback through Turkey.

In a leaked cable that sounded more like a leaked movie script, the story of 75-year-old Hossein Ghanbarzadeh Vahedi’s perilous journey through the north-western Iranian mountains is told.

Vahedi flew to Iran from Los Angeles in May of 2008. Seven months later, his passport was confiscated and he was barred from leaving the country. After his appeals to the courts were turned down, Vahedi got a horse, hired two guides, and trekked 14 hours through the ice cold mountains bordering Iran and Turkey.

In early January of 2009, Vahedi showed up at the U.S. embassy in Ankara, where diplomats were, obviously, surprised to hear what he had endured.

Vahedi, who left Iran during the 1979 revolution, told U.S. authorities that Iranian officials had made it clear that a payment of $150,000 would have seen his passport returned. He opted, instead, to trek through the mountains, where his escorts had to periodically hug him to keep him warm.

Vahedi, according to the cable, was an inexperienced rider and, at one point not too long into the climb, fell off his horse and into the woods. He told authorities he believed he would die in the mountains.

After dealing with Turkish officials who wanted to deport Vahedi back to Iran as an illegal immigrant, American authorities ensured his safe return back to the United States.

Now that U.S. troops have transferred security responsibilities in Iraq over to local forces, Americans can assess the damage from a less involved perspective.

A BBC World News America/Harris Poll asked Americans if they believe that Iraq is better off now than before the U.S. invasion, and whether the U.S. is safer because of the war.

Sixty-two per cent of men said Iraq is now safer, while 51 per cent of women believe the same. Interestingly, 49 per cent of those polled say the war was worth fighting for. The Iraq war. Worth it. Pretty astonishing.

Only 39 per cent say the war made America safer though, 10 per cent less than the number of those who think it was worth it.

So if we are to draw anything from this poll, it is that the majority of those polled don’t think the war was worth it and don’t think it made the country safer. The numbers are close on whether it was worth it, so the the people polled are obviously divided.

A lot of this division likely has to do with confusion. If you ask people what the war was for, what it was about, why we fought it, you’d likely get different answers from different people. In past wars, like Vietnam, the answer was definitive (even if those asked thought the war was ill-advised), and people likely had variations of the same answer.

The Iraq war, is more abstract, there is no definition to it. To keep America safe, yes, to control the spread of Islamic extremists, yes. But how? Iraq did not attack the U.S. and the war of haste there, after the dust settled post-9/11, has further alienated the U.S. from the very people it needed to have on its side in order to protect itself.

Dropping bombs on civilian neighbourhoods and shooting down civilians from helicopters will not make the U.S. safer. And according to the majority of those polled, it hasn’t.

Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan will go ahead tomorrow, marred by allegations of fraud and tampering against election candidates, and, most recently, by the kidnapping of a candidate and 18 election workers by Taliban members.

Earlier this week printers in Peshawar claimed they were told by Afghan election candidates to produce and laminate fake voter cards for the election. The Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission expressed concern and said the issue should be dealt with, but has yet to take any action.

Former presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah told reporters at a press conference that the appropriate measures to combat fraud are not being taken.

Meanwhile, workers were frantically transporting materials around the country earlier today in an effort to prepare for the election tomorrow. Fear in the streets is not as widespread as it was during the 2009 presidential election, though the Taliban has again threatened to attack.

The group has already been blamed for the kidnapping of 19 people, including one election candidate.

About 450,000 policemen and soldiers will guard polling stations, armed, in an effort to dissuade Taliban members from attacking.

Despite allegations of fraud and kidnappings by the Taliban, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the country has the “structure” for a “successful election”, according to Agence-France Presse.

TORONTO — The southeastern Ontario town of Napanee is in mourning this week after two crashes involving the same local firefighters, including a bus that rolled over and killed a 49-year-old mother of three, devastated the small city.

Five local firefighters crashed near London, Ontario Saturday while on their way back to their hometown of Napanee from a firefighter fitness competition.

Some of the injured firefighters were taken to a local hospital, and then boarded a charter bus, along with family, to drive nearly 250 miles back to Napanee.

That bus then crashed on Sunday near Woodstock — just 30 miles from London — after it hit a highway guardrail, flipped over and rolled into a ditch. Darlene Goodfellow, the 49-year-old wife of one of the firefighters who was injured in the Saturday crash, was killed in the accident.

Twelve people were injured on Sunday, including four of the firefighters injured in the Saturday crash. Two of the men, including Goodfellow’s now-widowed husband, had surgery yesterday.

An outpouring of grief continues on social media sites like Twitter, where many continue to express their condolences, especially for Goodfellow and her family.

Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate the crashes, though a cause has not yet been named.

I came across this really interesting story two days ago: plans by the autonomous region of Southern Sudan to build multi-billion dollar cities in the shapes of animals. The detailed blueprints show outlined drawings of a rhinoceros and a giraffe, with plans for structures inside their “bodies.”

Image via Wikimedia/Mandavi

The plan’s budget is just over $10 billion, even though Southern Sudan is one of the poorest regions on earth and has a budget of just $2 billion for 2010. Many believe the region should spend its expected influx of oil money to quickly improve living conditions for the poor. Here’s an excerpt from the Al Jazeera story :

“It doesn’t seem like the government of Southern Sudan should be using its resources or staff time when the people of Southern Sudan lack basic services like health care and water,” Nora Petty, an aid worker with the Malaria Consortium in Juba, said.

Of course, some believe the opposite. This, from CNN.com:

“Others think the idea could help put an aspiring new nation on the map.

“If it happened, everybody would come to see the country. It would mean we are developed,” says Ochira Bosco, 27, who works in a Juba restaurant.”"

Plans place the regional capital, Juba, inside the two-horned rhino blueprint.

Still, Nora Petty’s opinion is popular, especially when inspecting the region’s infrastructure stats. Again, from the Al Jazeera story:

“To connect all major towns in southern Sudan we need 13,000km of roads … we need five to six billion dollars to tarmac about 80 per cent of that.”

Right now, Southern Sudan has about 60 km of roads and health care services are rarely readily available for the country’s populace.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as the referendum on Southern Sudan’s independence should take place in early January 2011.

It can hardly be called a new development or a scientific breakthrough; in fact, it’s been around for millennia. Nearly 2000 years ago, farmers in the Amazon basin used it to create terra preta, once regaled by explorers as the most fertile and beautiful of foamy, luscious soil.

Yes, it’s what we now call biochar and it’s been gaining popularity in the scientific community for years. Recently, it was brought back into international spotlight as Britain’s government commissioned a study on biochar’s potential, and the US released a study saying that widespread use of the additive could result in a 12 per cent drop in global greenhouse emissions.

The product is quite simple. It’s a charcoal-like soil additive that consists of cooked biowastes, like wood chips and animal manure. When it’s added to soil, the carbon dioxide released from plants is locked up for thousands of years, instead of being released into our environment. The soil is pitch black as a result of the high concentration of carbon, and is much more fertile.

According to an article in a 2006 issue of Nature, "terra preta contrasts strongly with normal soil and in colour and produces much more vigorous crops."

If further studies come back with positive results, the only thing left to determine would be whether creating terra preta would release more emissions than would be saved by its use. Many scientists argue that exact point, outlined in a letter sent last year by environmental groups to various policy makers. Of course, that would make biochar more of a problem than a solution.

However, according to the same 2006 Nature article, "a hectare of metre-deep terra preta can contain 250 tonnes of carbon, as opposed to 100 tonnes in unimproved soils…The extra carbon is not just in the char — it’s also in the organic carbon and enhanced bacterial biomass that the char sustains." The scientist who conducted these trials, Bruno Glaser, as well as his colleagues in the industry, feel that carbon-friendly ways of production can and should be discovered, so the world can reap biochar’s potential.

Many scientists remain skeptical, but if the products ends up being all it’s expected to be, it will decrease the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere and help produce crops in soils that were previously polluted and lacking proper nutrients.

If biochar’s use can somehow be implemented in farms in our world’s more under-developed areas, it could prove to be a literal live saver. In the same Nature article, the author cites the remarkable results of a biochar vs. regular soil trial.

"Bruno Glaser…estimates that productivity of crops in terra preta is twice that of crops grown in nearby soils."

Further studies will determine whether biochar can be produced in low-emission methods. If it can, the result would be a simple, natural product that can potentially reduce emissions and increase food production in the forgotten and ignored corners of our world.

Two of today’s biggest social, moral and political issues — global warming and hunger — could be partially reversed because of innovations by Amazon tribes thousands of years ago.

For more information, go to http://biocharfund.org/

This article was also published at http://hunger-undernutrition.org.

Edited August 22, 2010

The floods in Pakistan have killed up to 1,500 and left six million homeless, the BBC reports. Death tolls will likely rise as officials expect the continuation of monsoon season to worsen Pakistan’s most severe flooding in more than 80 years.

Many men, women and children are still waiting for aid as groups struggle to traverse land submerged in muddy water.

If aid doesn’t reach some areas soon, the death toll could rise sharply because of an influx in the spread of water-borne illnesses. Dehydration is common, but can be avoided, if aid organizations start handing out filter bottles, like those made by Lifesaver.

Now I don’t have any connection to Lifesaver. But these floods reminded me of a TED lecture I watched late last year. In it, Lifesaver CEO Michael Pritchard pours a combination of dreadful bacteria-laden objects into a fish tank full of water. He then mixes it around to create a brown sludge, a color of water familiar to anyone who has either been to fresh water-lacking areas of our globe, or has seen them on TV.

Pritchard then scoops the water into his water bottle, pulls out a pump from its base and pushes and pulls it back and forth a few times. He then pops the cap and voila; crystal clear water. He even drinks it just to prove its safety. The audience reaction is priceless.

How does it work? Well, Pritchard says the advanced nanotech and carbon filters in the bottle are 15 nanometres, which can filter out 99.9 percent of viruses, chemicals and bacteria, including polio. The individual bottles have a lifespan of about  6,000 litres. The jerrycan can last 20000 litres.

Then there’s the Lifestraw, which a person can just pop into a pool of water and suck through. It’s good for about 700 litres. When the filter no long works, Pritchard says the filter shuts down on its own.

There are, of course, other systems like this in place, and they are no doubt being used to some degree by aid organizations. But they definitely can be used more. Lifesaver sent more than 1,000 bottles down to Haiti, and they’ve been helping a lot.

Access to clean water for Pakistan’s displaced is key to saving lives and reducing the number of illnesses. If aid organizations can just scoop up stagnant water and seconds later use it to hydrate a child or clean a mother’s wound, the situation could become less severe.

Even if it doesn’t have a huge impact, something isn’t nothing, and Pakistan could use the help.

ATLANTA — Every August 1, the Baza family is reminded of the luckiest day of their lives. After all, less than three years ago, baby Zach was struggling for his life.

Zach was born on October 14, 2007, a baby brother to four sisters. Jesse and Carmelita, his parents, were thrilled to have a boy complete their party of five.

But that excitement quickly faded. Less than a day passed before doctors told Carmelita that Zach would need surgery on his small intestine. The surgery went well, but 30 days later, Zach was back on the operating table. Two surgeries in his first month on earth.

Several months later, the blockages in Zach’s small intestine started to return. He couldn’t keep his food down.

In March of 2008, Zach hit rock bottom. His liver was failing and doctors told Jesse and Carmelita that their little boy, just months old, innocent and carefree, was going to die.

Just when Zach’s fate seemed set, a surgeon in San Antonio told the Bazas about a transplant team in Nebraska that could help their son. A week and three transplants later, Zach was finally healthy. His six-month birthday gift: a liver, a small bowel and a pancreas.

But troubles were not yet overcome. While Jesse, Carmelita, and their four daughters were thrilled, medical costs were mounting. When Carmelita lost her job, it only exacerbated the problem. So they reached out to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA).

By this time, many San Antonians had heard of the Bazas plight, and with the help of COTA, they raised money to help pay for Zach’s transplants.

What is August 1?

August 1 is National Minority Donor Awareness Day. The number of minorities waiting for organs is disproportionate to the American societal mosaic. For example, African Americans make up just 12 per cent of the population, but account for 32 per cent of the kidney transplant list, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Every August 1, charities like COTA help to raise awareness so more stories can end like the Baza family’s.

For more information on COTA, or to read more stories like Zach’s, visit www.cota.org.

The American army intelligence official accused of leaking classified material to Wikileaks has been transferred to Quantico Marine Base in Virginia.

Private first class Bradley Manning, 22, arrived on the base on Thursday from Kuwait, where he will be held while awaiting trial on charges of leaking military intelligence.

Manning faces four charges related to accusations that he leaked a classified video from 2007 showing an American helicopter gunning down civilians.

Manning is also suspected of further involvement with Wikileaks, namely in the recent release of more than 92,000 classified American war documents related to the war in Afghanistan.

In an online chat, Manning reportedly told a journalist that he leaked hundreds of thousands of U.S. military documents to Wikileaks after becoming “disillusioned” with U.S. foreign policy, according to the Associated Press.

The charges against Manning are severe enough to warrant a life sentence, Al Jazeera reports.

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, calls Manning a “political” prisoner and alleges that the U.S. military is keeping him in detention to prevent further documents being released.

A 73-year-old Middleton doctor who allegedly wrote prescriptions for painkillers and sedatives in exchange for cash is being held on $50,000 bail, Suffolk Country District Attorney David Conley announced Tuesday.

Friedman allegedly wrote prescriptions in exchange for case

Leonard Friedman was arrested by local, state and federal officials and charged with 14 counts of writing invalid prescriptions. The 14-month undercover investigation found that Friedman would write prescriptions for Percocet and Roxicet, two powerful painkillers, and Valium, a powerful sedative, in exchange for money.

Friedman allegedly charged up to $300 for a consultation and a prescription for both Roxicet and Valium. He’d charge another $200 for any further consultations and prescriptions for Percocet and Valium.

An undercover agent found Friedman would issue the prescriptions to patients who did not express symptoms to warrant such strong medication.

“A doctor who trades addictive drugs for cash makes a mockery of the Hippocratic Oath. If you’ve ever wondered how powerful prescription painkillers make their way to the street, this case provides the disturbing answer,” said Conley, according to the press office report.

Friedman was also prescribing Oxycodone at a rate “20 times higher than other doctors in his practice group,” according to Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Bucci.

Friedman’s case will pick up Aug. 12.

ATLANTA – Six officers were charged Tuesday in connection with shootings that occured just days after Hurricane Katrina touched down in New Orleans in 2005, the Department of Justice reports.

The infamous Danziger bridge case — which resulted in the deaths of two civilians and the wounding of four others — reached a milestone Tuesday, as Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Robert Faulcon and Anthony Villavaso were charged in connection with the shootings. The four cops and their supervisors, Arthur Kaufman and Gerard Dugue, were also charged with attempting to obstruct justice, a charge that stems from their efforts to cover up the incident.

The court ruled that the four cops open fired on a family on the Danizger bridge, killing a 17-year-old and wounding four others, including another 17-year-old. Minutes later, the cops shot two brothers, killing one, a 40-year-old man with severe mental disabilities, the DOJ reports.

The two supervisors, Kaufman and Dugue, are charged, along with the four cops, with using a cover up in an attempt to make the shootings seem warranted.

The DOJ reports says Kaufman brought a gun from his home, but later told investigators he found it on the bridge. The six men also allegedly met in an abandoned building to corroborate stories before meeting with investigators.

The four officers, Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon and Villavaso, face life in prison or the death penalty. Kaufman faces 120 years, while Dugue faces a maximum of 70 years in prison.

Gordon Brown has resigned as British prime minister, making way for a coalition government led by Britain’s new prime minister, David Cameron, to take the reigns of British parliament.

After announcing his resignation outside 10 Downing Street today, Brown and his wife spent about 15 minutes at Buckingham Palace, after which a statement was released citing the queen’s acceptance of Brown’s decision.

Earlier today, talks on forming a new government between Brown’s Labour party and Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats broke down. After narrowly winning the May 6 election, Cameron’s Conservatives reached out to Clegg’s party in hopes of forming a coaltion and avoiding a hung parliament, the first since 1974 and the second since World War II.

In order to take full control of parliament in the UK, the winning party must garner 326 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. A coalition between the Conservatives (who won 306 seats) and the Liberal Democrats (who won 57 seats) would help the country avoid a hung parliament.

Oddly enough, just months ago, no one in the UK could have predicted the fate of the British government would lay in the hands of the 43-year-old Clegg and the Liberal Democrats.

Cameron, speaking outside 10 Downing Street, said he aims to create a “full and proper” coalition with Clegg’s Liberal Democrats.

“I believe that is the best way to get the strong government that we need, decisive government that we need today,” said Cameron in his first speech as leader. ”I love this country and think it’s best days lie ahead. Now we need to confront our problems and take difficult decisions.”

I woke up this morning to alerts on my cell phone, my calendar and my fridge, all saying the same thing: “Al Jazeera! Al Jazeera! Al Jazeera!”

That’s right, Al Jazeera English (AJE) is now available in Canada on three of the country’s largest cable providers. The channel also plans to open a bureau in Toronto as early as next month, after a nearly four year-long fight to get the channel on the air.

Last summer, the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission, Canada’s broadcast regulator, let the country’s people have a major say in whether Al Jazeera English would be allowed to broadcast in the country. An overwhelming 98 per cent of responses were in favor of allowing the channel to broadcast here, so AJE was given license last summer.

The channel faces much opposition, primarily from the Canadian Jewish Congress and B’nai Brith (another Jewish group), because of some of the accusations made against Al Jazeera English’s sister station, Al Jazeera Arabic. That channel has been accused of airing some anti-American and anti-Semitic programming, however Al Jazeera English is managed by Tony Burman, the ex-Editor-in-Chief of CBC News, Canada’s public broadcaster. He has personally met with opposition groups in Canada, in an attempt to ease suspicions.

To mark the channel’s inclusion in Canada’s media landscape, Al Jazeera English will be adding a Canadian spin to many of its programs in the upcoming weeks, including, according to the CBC:

• A look at what Canada’s departure from Afghanistan in 2011 will mean for NATO.
• In-depth features on Canada’s oilsands, including reports from Alberta on life at Fort McMurray.
• An examination of Canada’s controversial climate change policy.
• A report from Winnipeg on the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for residential school survivors

Al Jazeera English began broadcasting in 2006. It is based out of Qatar with headquarters in Washington DC, London and Kuala Lumpur. It prides itself in covering issues that Western media tend to ignore, including Asian, African and South American issues.

When convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner was asked in which way he wanted to receive capital punishment for a murder he committed 25 years ago, you’ll never guess what he chose.

He didn’t go the conventional route. He didn’t choose lethal injection, not even death by electrocution, hanging or (God forbid) bludgeoning.

“I would like the firing squad, please,” said Gardner, 49, to Utah state court Judge Robin Reese. And the state is getting ready to grant this dying man his last wish.

Gardner, if his attorney’s stay of execution and appeal is not granted, will face a five-man firing squad on June 18, 2010. The squad would consist of five volunteer officers, each equipped with a matching rifle.

But Gardner, who killed an attorney 25 years ago during a failed escape attempt, may yet have his life extended. Defense attorney Andrew Parnes plans to seek a stay of execution and appeal the case to the Utah Supreme Court. Gardner has already been sentenced to death four times, however Parnes believes his death is now closer than ever before.

“I don’t think it was a shock or a surprise, and he’s coming to grips with that,” Parnes said. He did not explain Gardner’s choice of the firing squad, AP reports.

Utah and Oklahoma are the only two states in which death by a firing squad is still legal, though in Oklahoma, it can only be used if death by lethal injection is deemed unconstitutional. As of 2004, Utah inmates can no longer choose their method of execution; they must face lethal injection. However, those sentenced to death before then can choose between the two. Gardner was sentenced to death in 1985.

An Espy and Smylka study estimates 142 people have been killed by firing squad in the United States and its English-speaking predecessor territories since 1608, not including deaths related to the Civil War. In Utah, the last person to be killed by firing squad was John Albert Taylor, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. According to the New York Times, Taylor chose the firing squad to prove Utah was committing murder, not conducting a civil service, by killing him.

The U.S. Department of Treasury unveiled a new $100 bill today, equipped with several changes that are meant to enhance security and reduce counterfeiting.

According to Larry Felix, the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the changes are meant to be “very obvious and visible.” The bill is pretty high-tech and has three major security changes.

The first is the blue 3-D security ribbon that runs down the bill lengthwise, right beside Franklin’s face. When you tilt the bill from side to side, the tiny images on the ribbon switch from bells to the number ’100′.

The second is the inkwell at the bottom of the bill, just to the right of the blue ribbon. It’s engraved with an image of a bell, and changes color from copper to green when you tilt the bill back and forth.

Lastly, there is a giant metallic ’100′ on the back of the bill and on the front in the bottom right corner. The metallic material is harder to counterfeit and it also changes color when the bill is tilted. That security feature is already on bills in other countries, such as Canada.

The $100 is the most counterfeited in America. As it’s the largest bill available for public use, the Department of Treasury said it felt the need to “protect the integrity” of U.S. money and overhaul its security features.

Click here for an interactive view of the new bill.

Click here if you want to see all of the American $100 bill designs, starting from 1862. The 1862 one is seriously awesome.

Israel has forbidden travelers from bringing iPads into the country, saying the device’s wireless technology could interfere with or overpower other products already in operation there.

The Ministry of Communications declared the ban earlier this week. “The iPad’s Wi-Fi wireless technology was built to the U.S. standard, which allows stronger signals than those allowed in Europe and Israel,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

That means the iPad’s wireless signal strength violates Israeli law, which makes operating the device in country illegal. Ministry spokesman Yechiel Shavi says once the device is built to comply with European standards, the ban will be reversed.

But technology analyst Richard Doherty is skeptical. He says the Wi-Fi chip used in the iPad is an industry standard. “If they’re paranoid about the iPad then they should be paranoid about BlackBerrys and the iPhone.”

He went on to tell the The Wall Street Journal that because of the iPad’s small antenna and aluminum casing, the signal is actually weaker than devices of similar size.

Techies in Israel feel slighted. Especially after hearing rumors that the iPad was banned because the Israeli military feared the “strong” signal would interfere with their technology.

Apple only recently established a presence in Israel. Their first official store opened in Tel Aviv in January 2009.

So the other day I saw a video on TED featuring 12-year-old Adora Svitak. She explains to an audience full of adults what they can learn from children. It’s actually a really wonderful talk and Svitak is an amazing speaker, I’d venture much better than most her age. She’s also brilliant, so listen carefully to her ideas! Although, her voice does kind of sound like Sarah Palin’s…

Health care reform supporters gather in Phoenix./Courtesy of ellene000 on Flickr

If you followed the non-stop health care coverage leading up to last night’s vote, you may be surprised to learn that Obama isn’t sitting atop the White House with a sniper rifle picking off old people one by one.

The citizen debate was passionate, at times ugly. Racial epithets and spit were hurled at black congressmen. Barney Frank, the openly gay representative from Massachusetts, was called a "faggot". I’ll leave it up to you to guess which side was responsible for this.

President Obama, a man who campiagned on the promise of uniting the country, ripped it apart in the most unlikely of ways. He created a divide by demanding more Americans be given access to health care. He’s been attacked by every side, by countless Americans and government officials, for his policy and, in some cases, his race. You have to wonder how much of the hate is directed toward the bill, and how much of it is an explosion of pent up anger from those who still can’t beleive that a young, African American with little political experience defeated a decorated war veteran from Arizona in 2008.

Anyway, back to the bill. Ezra Klein, a blogger for the Washington Post, defined the arguments against the bill quite well yesterday on Twitter: ezraklein The GOP’s argument on the bill is 1) it’s socialism and 2) it cuts Medicare too much? So, too socialist and not socialist enough?

Too true. You know how you separate the historically educated from the historically ignorant? Those who call Obama a socialist, or who beleive the U.S. is inching toward socialism, are the latter. For example, Glen Enloe, from the Kansas City Star, who says "change is just another a code word for socialism". You sir, are historically ignorant. Or maybe these people, Enloe included, aren’t historically ignorant. Maybe they know history. Maybe they’ve studied history and know what socialism is and what socialist leaders really act like. But that means they’re inciting fear and hate for the purpose of political gain. You tell me which is worse.

I’ve strayed again. Apologies. Back to the bill. Of course it isn’t perfect. It’s the first major reform in almost a century. Obviously, not everyone can be pleased. Obama’s last minute deal with Bart Stupak guaranteed the bill would pass, and that deal, which ensured no federal money would go toward abortions, angered the National Organization for Women (NOW). They say Obama’s decision to issue the Executive Order shows his commitment to health care is "shaky at best". Obviously, that isn’t true, he’s put his presidency on the line to ensure more Americans have access to health care.

NOW is angry because they didn’t get what they wanted. I never thought the abortion clause would go through unnoticed or unchallenged, or, in fact, that it would go through at all. It’s just not a conversation the country is willing to have right now, and in the midst of sweeping health care reform, to get caught up on one issue, however important, is not in the best interest of the country. Obama recognized that, that’s why he took it out. But we all know where the president stands on abortion, so I really, really doubt he’ll toss it aside for too long.

Like I said before, the health care bill is not perfect. It can’t be. It never will be. But no matter who you are, or what side you’re on, you cannot possibly think the health care system in the United States is the “best in the world.” The World Health Organization ranks it at 37, just behind Slovenia. Infant mortality is higher than the European Union, largely because of lack of access to health care caused by racial and ethnic disparity, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Life expectancy in the U.S. is last among the G7 and 38th in the world, behind Cuba. In a country obsessed with being first, that’s not good enough.

This is not the “best health care system in the world.” It wasn’t before the bill, and it won’t be after the bill. But making great physicians available to a larger percentage of the population is a mark of an improving health care system. That’s what the U.S. needs to focus on right now. It’s people.

I just got back from a screening of the film “My Name is Khan”, a Bollywood movie about a man with Asperger’s Syndrome who, after his son is killed by a group of anti-Muslim teens, goes on a mission to tell the president “My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist.” Yes some of it was far-fetched and strange, but then again, it is an Indian movie, and our movies tend to be a bit eccentric.

There are many scenes in the film that show the plight of the Islamic-American post-9/11. Shops are vandalized, men are beaten and some Muslims and non-Muslims even take to changing their appearances and names so they can better assimilate into the post-9/11 American society.

The movie really got me thinking about how North Americans treat minorities, especially those who follow Islam, and those who, to the untrained or ignorant eye, look like they follow Islam. I’m talking about brown people. Maybe it’s not easy to tell where a brown person is from. I wouldn’t know, because I can tell pretty easily, since I am one. But I’ve been asked if I’m Iranian, Afghani, Pakistani, Jordanian, and in one odd case, Italian. That last one made no sense. None of the guesses, by the way, offended me in any way.

I am, ancestrally, from India. Does that make me Muslim? Hindu? Jewish? Christian? Does it matter? No. So, I’m not going to tell you. But what does matter is the attitude some of the residents of the U.S. and Canada take toward minorities that look Muslim.

Of course, not all of either country is anti-Muslim. I’d wager that only a small percentage of people in both countries harbor real, genuine hateful feelings towards Muslims. Some of these people think jihad, bombs and death are the primary teachings of the Qu’ran. The Qu’ran does not advocate killing, but verses taken out-of-context lead some to believe it does. Verses taken out of context from other religious books, be they from the Hindu faith or the Christian faith, can also give people the wrong idea of the religion. That’s why people say education leads to understanding, because a lack of education leads to ignorance.

Anyway, after the movie I came home, logged on to Twitter, and searched the word “Muslim”. I came across a few prejudice tweets. Below is a conversation between two women that I found interesting:

@caitebeth: “Why do we have Obama as president? I mean, really. Don’t tell me he’s not a Muslim. I won’t believe you.”

@rawrxmaggie: “@caitebeth He /isn’t/ Muslim. He’s Christian. And anyway, what’s wrong with being Muslim? Isn’t America all about freedom of religion?”

@rawrxmaggie: “@caitebeth Christianity is not the only religion. And Muslim people have the right to practice their religion.”

Why are people so vehemently attacking a man on the basis of his (perceived) faith? Like “@rawrxmaggie” says, who cares what faith he is? Isn’t the U.S. a land of freedom, freedom of religion, the right to be who you are anywhere, at all times? If someone is smart, capable, morally decent and kind, why can’t they rise to the top in any profession? Do they have to be smart, capable, morally decent, kind and Christian? No.

But wait, here’s more tweets from the “@caitebeth” brand of thinking. These are a bit more radical, though:

@brettcoulter: “SOME PEOPLE THINK HIS REAL NAME IS MOHAMMED. HIS MIDDLE NAME IS HUSSEIN SO THAT IS BELIEVABLE. HE’S A MUSLIM IN DISGUISE. RECORDS ARE HIDDEN”

@TexasRV: “This is United States of America not Communist, Muslim or Socialist nation. We r last hope 4 free world. God Bless America”

Apparently, to “@TexasRV“, Muslims can be equated with Communists and Socialists. Who knew?

I’m sure most of my readers are open-minded, accepting, kind people. I thank you for your lack of prejudice. For those who aren’t, I respect your views. I just don’t agree with them.

Am I Muslim? Hindu? Christian? Jewish? It doesn’t matter. So, I’m not going to tell you.

I came across a really interesting blog post today. It’s written by a woman who, rightfully I believe, argues a double standard perpetuated by Facebook’s staff.

She was messaged by Facebook and told to take down a photo of her breastfeeding her two children. They said if she failed to remove the photo, she’d be banned from the site. But there are a number of other photos, more sexualized of course, that Facebook apparently has no problem with.

Click here to check out her blog post.

This needs to STOP.

Yesterday, I was browsing through some Twitter pages. I was watching How I Met Your Mother at the same time, so, naturally, I went on to Neil Patrick Harris’ page to see what he’s been talking about/been up to/see if he’s said anything about Glee.

This was the first tweet I saw. I’ve anonymized the Twitter handle of the person NPH was talking to for reasons that will soon become apparent. “@anonymous No trouble at all, actually. Those who aren’t understanding have more to learn.”

Now, I don’t know the Tweeter in question, and I’m sure you don’t either. But I’m a nosy person, and I wanted to know what they were talking about. That’s why I love Twitter; it let’s me be a creep without anyone knowing (unless I write a blog post about it ).

So, I read the next tweet, also addressed to the same person: “@anonymous Stand tall. Be proud of who you are. Don’t break promises. Want to learn. Represent well. But more than anything, be safe.”

This one was even more intriguing than the first. So, I clicked on it and scrolled down the Tweeter’s profile to see what NPH was helping him with.

Here’s what I found, across three tweets: “@actuallynph hey do you have any advice for someone coming out as gay? my family wouldnt understand and im a musician in australia, so theyve been pretty proud of me so far. I’m nearly 18, i know im young i dont know who to go to everyone i seem to know is either fake or full of shit and i admire you so much that i thought i’d ask you.”

Got to love NPH. Legen…wait for it…dary role model.

Thousand of troops are being deployed to different parts of Chile, a country recently ravaged by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake, to try to prevent looting and criminal acts, Al Jazeera reports.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has doubled the number of troops patrolling the hardest hit areas to almost 14,000. Her government has been accused of mishandling disaster relief efforts, especially because some of the troops are guarding stores full of supplies so desperately needed by the people.

Government officials say until supplies can be distributed fairly, no one is allowed to have any. This in an effort to prevent a survival-of-the-fittest scenario, similar to the one that emerged in Haiti weeks ago.

Hundreds of tons of food, water and aid are being flown in to Chile from abroad, but teams are struggling to distribute the materials evenly.

Looting

Residents of Concepcion, a town about 300 miles from the capital city of Santiago, have been the most vocal in their anger over relief efforts. Recently, some members of the town set a store on fire after armed guards prevented them from entering and taking supplies.

Food, water and aid is being distributed, for the first time since the deadly quake, today in Concepcion. Up to now, residents have had to rely on looting, which is becoming harder and harder as guards patrol the area, or on stockpiles of  food they may have had before the quake hit.

According to Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, people in Chile are telling workers that the aid being supplied is not nearly enough. Government officials say they’ve now purchased all the food in Concepcion’s supermarkets and will begin to distribute it evenly shortly.

US aid

Secretary of State Hiliary Clinton arrived in Chile on Tuesday with the news that the US will send water purification systems and mobile hospitals very soon.

Clinton met with the country’s president, and plans to meet with the Chile’s president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, soon.

Death toll

Thus far, 795 people have been found dead. Relief teams are now making their ways to the more isolated but equally hard-hit neighborhoods, where they expect to find many, many more dead.

I wrote an article a little while back for my school paper covering a talk I attended featuring Dr. Mads Gilbert, one of the only Western doctors allowed into Gaza during the war there in 08/09.  It was a riveting talk, and I meant to share the article with you sooner, but hey, better late than never.

Here it is:

One night, during Israel’s offensive in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009, Dr. Mads Gilbert turned to his colleague, Dr. Hameed, at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. For hours they’d been working non-stop to care for the countless war-wounded, performing surgeries and amputations on predominantly young Palestinians.

"How can this go on?" asked an exhausted Dr. Gilbert. There had been no news of foreign aid, and countless civilians continued to rush into the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The doctor had been deeply affected by the plight of the wounded Palestinians.

Dr. Hameed replied immediately. "We have no human rights."

In a 90-minute lecture at the end of January at Ryerson University, Dr. Gilbert, one of just two foreign doctors allowed into Gaza during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, transports a crowd of eager attendees into Al-Shifa hospital, right into the middle of the war.

The doctor presents dozens of photos of the war-wounded Palestinians who sought aid at the health care centre. The photos are horribly gruesome. Legs are blown apart, bones pop out from underneath broken flesh, young faces are bloodied and miserable.

Members of the audience can barely look. A man in the first row turns away every time a photo is shown. He wears an expression of pain. A woman in the third row is weeping. She is of Palestinian descent, but she never looks away.

Dr. Gilbert describes how hard it was to help those Gazans in dire need. "There was no electricity," he explains. "The hospital ran on two unreliable generators because Israel shut the area’s power off. Sometimes doctors operated with the lights from their mobile phones."

Dr. Gilbert describes one particular patient’s case in detail. "This is Joumana Samoni, a four-month-old baby," says the doctor, as he presents a photo of a beautiful young girl with only two fingers on one hand. "Her hand was injured and three of her fingers were amputated."

Samoni was forcefully ejected, along with her family, from her home by Israeli forces in Gaza. Her father, grandmother and grandfather were all killed. Her mother went missing. Samoni came to the hospital alone, but was eventually reunited with her mother.

Dr. Gilbert also presents many statistics and graphs. He tells the audience, now queasy from the photos, that for every dead Israeli, 100 Palestinians were killed. Of the approximately 1400 dead Palestinians, 431 were children. "And 85 to 90 per cent of those killed were civilians. More than 5000 were injured…more than 20,000 were left homeless," he says.

The doctor paints a grim picture of life in Gaza. He takes no credit for the work he and his colleague, Dr. Erik Fosse, did as physicians there during the war. "We are no heroes. The heroes are still in Gaza."

This article appeared in the Ryerson Free Press’s February issue.

TORONTO — The opening ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games was at times breathtaking, and at other times, just weird.

Let’s be nice and go over the breathtaking first. Sarah McLachlan and k.d. Lang sang wonderfully. The actual lighting of the Olympic cauldron was inspired, as three Canadian heroes got to participate instead of the traditional one, including Rick Hansen, who IS a national icon.

Oh, and when those cartoon whales swam across the floor and began to spout water, that was neat.

But a lot of this ceremony, which was so heavily anticipated after Beijing’s opener, did not represent Canadian culture. That wasn’t Canada.

I can’t comment on whether the Aboriginal peoples of this country were done justice during the ceremony last night, but I do find it strange that we so glamorously portray their culture on a world stage, even when they are treated so poorly at home. That can’t be fair.

Don’t get me wrong. Aboriginal culture is beautiful and interesting, but Canada is definitely not a land of ice, snow and people dancing beneath giant trees and totem poles. We’ve a rich multicultural society that inhabits a a few vibrant cosmopolitan centres and cities in between, many of whom have successfully intertwined their ancestral cultural values with Canada’s light cultural values. That’s what Canada is; a mosaic. That’s what we should’ve seen last night.

And the clich©s! The mounties, the icy, barren landscape, Nelly Furtado in a tight dress. It was all embarassingly there. We perpetuated many stereotypes last night. Especially when VANOC’s speaker spoke after Jacques Rogge. He almost put me to sleep, just like those kind, timid and shy Canadians tend to do.

Oh, and that terrifying Coca-Cola bear that emerged from the ground, that wasn’t a clich©, but it was creepy.

And then finally, at the last moment, when The Great One and his fellow all-star Canadians were all set to light the flame, technology bitch slapped us. We waited and waited. Even Gretzky looked pissed for a second.

Then finally, the cauldron emerged, in all its glory, and was lit by three Canadian heroes. Then Gretzky ran outside to light the outdoor flame, and received the wonderful treatment Canada allots to all of its national icons. He rode on the back of a truck while it rained on his face. Nice.

But world, don’t take that image of Canada home with you. It isn’t what life is like here. We don’t all live in the Arctic circle among the Orcas and the ice floes.

But we do rule the Winter Olympics. So look out.

A billboard just outside Wyoming, Minn. has sparked a national conversation regarding our current president’s relative effectiveness as compared to former President George W. Bush.

The billboard shows a picture of a smiling President Bush with the words “Miss Me Yet?” printed beside the photo. The billboard’s creators want to stay anonymous, though an employee from Schubert & Hoey Outdoor Advertising says the creators are a ” group of small businessmen and individuals who just felt like Washington was against them,” the Christian Science Monitor reports.

The billboard has drawn strong opinions from both the right and the left. It comes at a time when Republicans and Democrats are pulling further away from each other on key issues like health care, and as Obama’s approval rating drops to record lows.

What do you think? Do you miss him yet?

Do you?

A 16-year-old Turkish girl found dead in a hole last December was probably buried alive, judging by the amounts of soil in her lungs and stomach, authorities claim, the BBC reports.

Medine Memi may have been the victim of an “honor killing.” An “honor killing” takes place after one family member commits an act that serves to dishonor the rest of the family. Members of the family then kill the one who committed the act, as defense of honor is seen as a justifiable reason for murder. Memi’s father and grandfather have been arrested, but not yet charged.

Memi’s neighbor noticed she’d been missing for a month before calling the police. Officers then visited Memi’s house, and found her body “in a hole, newly covered with concrete, next to the hen-house,” the BBC reports. She was found dead with her hands tied behind her back and minor bruises on her body.

Memi lived in Kahta, Turkey, a heavily conservative and religious south-east town. The BBC reports that while many “honor killings” are carried out by muslims in Turkey, the practice has more to do with the regional customs of this mainly Kurdish town than with religion. Apparently, if a female child is seen even speaking to a boy, there is “strong peer pressure from the community on the male members of the family to restore their honor.”

The United Nations Population Fund estimates the number of worldwide “honor killings” at 5,000 per year. Both men and women are targeted, though women are much more often victims. According to the Turkish prime minister’s office, there were 16 honor killings in Adiyaman, the province where Memi lived, between 2003 and 2007.

I’m sure most of you have seen this – a blog post by former NBA player Paul Shirley regarding Haitian relief. Here’s a small blurb. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll know what it’s about after reading this. Or you probably got it from the headline. Either way…read if you like:

“It is not outside the realm of imagination to think that the citizens of a country might be able to: A) avoid putting themselves into a situation that might result in such catastrophic loss of life.  And B) provide for their own aid, in the event of such a catastrophe.”

Click here for Shirley’s post. Be kind.

Collapsed buildings, homes and hospitals. Orphaned children, parents who’ve lost their children and elders who have no caretakers. Foreign sights, sounds and smells. This is Haiti. A disaster zone.

World Vision volunteer Laura Blank explains the scene in Haiti, food aid and why rushing in to adoption is a bad idea. She also answers one question that’s been plaguing journalists and citizens of countries who’ve been providing aid: where are the volunteers staying?

Haiti is in horrible condition, and as three generations of Haitians prepare to move into a massive tent city, we most not stop sending aid just because it’s being stalled. Rebuilding an entire country is not an overnight job, and our money IS helping. Let’s keep being generous, and let’s not forget about Haiti.

At 4:53 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2010, Haiti changed forever. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake rumbled 10 miles outside the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, causing the collapse of countless buildings, injuring hundreds of thousands, displacing more than 1 million and killing more than 100,000.

The international community was quick to respond to the plight of the Haitian, and citizens around the world gathered in solidarity to send whatever they could afford. Students at schools organized relief efforts through bake sales. Communities hosted fundraisers. Governments vowed to match donations put forth by their citizens. Celebrities hosted concerts. Hundreds of millions have been donated, and it continues.

But as we, up here, marvel at how generous a spirit has emerged during this horrible time, we remember why we’ve become so giving, and why we support the good, brave people of Haiti. These deaths were not caused by ill-advised war, but by a natural disaster that was unpreventable. Surely the number of dead should be smaller. But it isn’t, and now the Haitians will be forced to live rough lives. Many are getting ready to move to  a massive tent city just miles away from Port-au-Prince, and just a few hundred yards away from the mass graves that the corpses of their loved ones now call home.

This tragedy is, thankfully, uncommon. But when it happens it is devastating. But through all the destruction, despair and desperation, hopes have not been dashed. We hear of men and women being pulled from rubble 10 and 11 days after the quake. We hear of generous families adopting Haitian orphans so they don’t have to live in constant fear on the streets of the torn capital. And at night we hear the songs of Haiti, people gathered together chanting and reciting prayers for a better tomorrow. And that, they will receive.

All photos are courtesy of the American and Norwegian Red Cross on Flickr. The photos depict the efforts of the American, Israeli, Canadian and Norwegian volunteers, as well as local Haitians and Dominicans.

Haiti. Just mentioning the country’s name makes people stop, listen, and hope that what they hear is, for a change, good news. But there isn’t much in Haiti. People are dying preventable deaths. Children are dying from broken bones. There is a lack of food, water and shelter for the Haitians.

The relief effort in Haiti is sweeping, but it isn’t organized. The clogged airport and the shattered roads make it tough for aid organizations to get to where they need to be. Infrastructure isn’t being built quickly enough because there isn’t enough tools.

There is no system to account for all the food, water and medical supplies that come into Haiti. Everything isn’t being fairly distributed.

But it all will come together. This is, after all, a natural disaster that has affected three million. There’s no quick fix.

If you’re frustrated that your donated money is being stalled, don’t worry. Haiti’s future is bleak and hopeful all at once. And our money can help make it better.

Remember to donate what you can tonight to Hope For Haiti Now or Canada for Haiti.