Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Nothing beats the spectacle of modern-day human trafficking and enslavement for a family night out.

Bernardo Atxaga, the best-known Basque writer, has written up his observations of a rally for Obama he attended in Nevada. I’ll post a translation when I get around to it.

Here’s some gruesome news from Interfax. Russia’s suicide rate is already high, but apparently the number of suicides on New Year’s Day in Moscow this year spiked. One of the people mentioned in the article was born in 1976… It gives you pause.

Interestingly, psychologist quoted in the article hazards that the cause might be the expectation by many people (in Russia, presumably) of a miracle on New Year’s. Under stress, a person might take the final step in the absence of some kind of sign.

Here’s the text of a letter written by Arkhangelsk’s mayor Aleksandr Donskoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin … from Donskoy’s prison cell.

Mr. President,

Although I was not given the opportunity to be a candidate for the post you currently occupy, I intend to participate as a candidate in the 2012 presidential elections. I am certain that the opposition forces will support me, and that Aleksandr Donskoy’s “Novaya Partiya” [trans.: "New Party"] will become a real political force in the country.

In connection with which I would like to point out that even in Myanmar, the military junta which is friendly to us places presidential candidates from the opposition under house arrest, and not in prison. We are not in a state of emergency yet, so it would be appropriate if the following articles could be included in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

• Making negative assessments of the activity of the President of the Russian Federation and his successor.

• Criticism of Putin’s Plan.

• Desire to be on the ballot for the post of President of the Russian Federation without an agreement with federal officials.

All of these articles can be applied to me, on the basis of which I can then be prosecuted. It would be more honest that way.

Happy New Year!

Aleksandr Donskoy, Mayor of Arkhangelsk
December 27, 2007

An article (see translation below) in GARA about the Praileatiz I site (more info here) which is threatened by mining activities. (It seems like it’s either the miners, the loggers, or the pharmaceutical companies that can’t do anything right these days.)

ARCHAEOLOGY

Lawmakers request Lakua to stop all activities surrounding the Praileaitz I cave

The parliament of Gasteiz has made a unanimous request to the government of Lakua to stop all activities being carried out in the area around the Praileatiz I cave.

12/14/2007 11:58:00

GASTEIZ-. A non-binding resolution to protect Praileaitz has been accepted with the support of the Ezker Abertzale, PSE, EA, and EB parties. The EAJ and PP abstained.

The parties proposing the resolution (PSE, Ezker Abertzale, and Aralar) noted that the work being done in Praileaitz I represents the exploration of one of the most important Upper Paleolithic sites discovered in recent decades in Europe, and that the site is being irremediably devoured as a consequence of the activity in the adjacent quarry, Sasiola.

The parties stated that an “additional safety zone” to protect the vicinity around the cave must be established, thereby also protecting the slope where the cave is located.

The parties request in the resolution that the Lakua government either modify or expand the decree which is already in force, in order to protect the entire slope where the Praileaitz I cave is located, and to conserve in ther entirety the natural surroundings of the cave.

While doing this, they also request an immediate stop to all activities in the area, and at the same time to develop a “more explicit” law as quickly as possible, “as quickly as possible the protection of all such sites which could be achieved through this.” [See Note 1 below.]

In the debate, the EAJ has defended itself by stating that the the cave is “well-protected in a satisfactory manner” by the decree issued in July and by the measures taken by the Gipuzkoa Assembly.

361 experts

Last Wednesday, a document signed by 361 experts from around the globe in support of Praileatiz I and the surrounding slope was made public, on the eve of today’s debate.

Note 1: Doesn’t make much sense? Well, it didn’t to me either. Here’s the original sentence:

Hori egin bitartean, ingurune horretan jarduera guztiak bertan behera utz daitezela galdegiten diote, eta horrekin batera lege “esplizituagoak” garatu daitezela “lehenbailehen, haien bitartez lortu ahal izan dadin horrelako guneak benetan babestea ahalik eta lasterren”.

As lawyers argue before the Supreme Court to try to get Gitmo prisoners habeus corpus, protesters outside voice their support.

“Restore habeas corpus!” they intoned, referring to the right to court review of the legality of detention, the heart of the argument before the high court.

Compare with what the protesters voiced their support for in the Teddy Muhammad case.

Protesters shouted: “No tolerance: execution” and “Kill her, kill her by firing squad”.

Notice which side of this divide the Bush Administration on.

The Statesman is running a story on the resignation of the state science curriculum director, who got basically got pushed out for being against creationism.

The call to fire Comer came from Lizzette Reynolds, who previously worked in the U.S. Department of Education. She also served as deputy legislative director for Gov. George W. Bush. She joined the Texas Education Agency as the senior adviser on statewide initiatives in January.

Reynolds, who was out sick the day Comer forwarded the e-mail, received a copy from an unnamed source and forwarded it to Comer’s bosses less than two hours after Comer sent it.

“This is highly inappropriate,” Reynolds said in an e-mail to Comer’s supervisors. “I believe this is an offense that calls for termination or, at the very least, reassignment of responsibilities.

“This is something that the State Board, the Governor’s Office and members of the Legislature would be extremely upset to see because it assumes this is a subject that the agency supports.”

Why shouldn’t the agency support it?!

One reason might lie here, a speech by Don McLeroy (R-Bryan, TX), a creationist and chairman of the Texas State Board of Education. That’s why the TEA “shouldn’t” support people like Barbara Forrest.

A piece of lukewarm reporting from KPRC in Houston on an unmanned aircraft test supposedly done with NO MEDIA ALLOWED. The newshounds were on the scene, however, although the questions raised were no more serious than whether this technology will be used for speeding tickets, and will these things crash in our schools?!

Questions I’m not entirely uninterested in, but still, the possibilities are a lot scarier than speeding tickets. With the ability to monitor the population comes the likelihood of that ability being abused.

Bin Laden - 3 USA - 0

Beautiful piece in the Times Online from a year ago. Pretty much sums up what I think of Richard Dawkins, who is probably the only person on the planet capable of making Ted Haggard sound smart.

A long piece by Ronan Bennett on modern anti-Muslim racism, specifically in the mouth of Martin Amis. I missed the brouhaha with Terry Eagleton, but I’m glad someone stood up to Amis, although, as Bennett, points out, it isn’t enough. That Amis has not been ostracized by his peers is an indication of a hardening of views vis-a-vis Muslims throughout the west today.