Tuesday, June 07, 2005

In the news...

Have I mentioned I love Winnipeg? Heat & smog = ick:

STUDY SHOWS HEAT AND SMOG ARE KILLERS
Smog is responsible for more than 800 deaths a year in Toronto, and extreme heat makes the problem even worse, a new government study has found.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/06/06/smog050606.html

(Chapel Hill = heat & smog.)

Get a life, Pope Prude:

POPE CONDEMNS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Pope Benedict has condemned same-sex unions, calling them expressions of "anarchic freedom" that threaten the future of the family.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/06/pope050606.html

I'm not sure what my opinion is on this one:

U.S. COURT FINDS POT ILLEGAL, EVEN ON DOCTOR'S ORDERS
Sick people can't smoke marijuana in the United States, even under doctor's orders, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/06/us-pot050606.html

I saw this on TV:

'FRIENDLY FIRE' PILOT RELIVES INCIDENT
The U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly bombed and killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002 has talked about the incident on television for the first time.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/05/friendly-fire-050605.html

He sounds like a nice guy. Hey, fellow: No, I don't think you intentionally bombed Canadians, nor wanted to bomb them. Yes, you understandably feel bad about your actions. Does this excuse your poor judgement? Not to me. The two of you could have flown to a safe, nearby location while you waited to find out if they actually were enemies. Yes, there was a breakdown somewhere in the communications, preventing the notice of the live-fire exercise from reaching you... but that's why there's *multiple* safeguards against friendly fire! Like the one that says you're supposed to *wait* for confirmation.

ARCTIC LAKES DISAPPEARING, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS SAY
More than 100 lakes in the Arctic have disappeared over the past three decades, according to a team of Canadian and American scientists, who say climate change at high latitudes may be part of the problem.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/06/06/Arctic-lakes050606.html

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chapel Hill = heat + smog?! Chapel Hill was cool and clean compared to Houston. :P

As for the Pope's announcement, I have no words. Your commentary made me sputter, though. I just don't get how gay marriage threatens the family. Of course, I also don't see why population decline is viewed so negatively. Humanity ravages the environment...seems to me a few less of us might be a good thing, and a decline in the birthrate is a darned good way to do it, since it doesn't involve killing anyone already here.

noricum said...

We are talking relatives here. Relative to Winnipeg, it's hot, humid and polluted. (Winnipeg never has ozone warning days.)

Good sputter, or bad sputter?

I think it rather ironic that love and happiness can be "evil"... especially when there's much worse things going on... such as rape, domestic violence, AIDS, etc.

My impression about those regulations were always that "thou shalt breed more good little Catholics, so we can outnumber the other religions." But yeah, I always wondered why a population decline was such a bad thing, especially in overpopulated countries. Yes, we'd have to fix how some pension plans work, but that's doable.

pfirsch said...

How can someone who takes a vow of celibacy comment on the future of a family he has promised to never have?

noricum said...

Very good point!