Are our politicians becoming petty?
The opposition Liberal party is branding PM Harper petty for refusing to apologize for his remarks linking an opposition MP into an Air India Bombing and the reason why the Opposition Liberal is refusing to support the extension of the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act that are expiring soon and will be up for a vote next Tuesday.
There is at the Moment an Air India Bombing Inquiry, after the long and difficult trial ended up with only one person convicted of the crime. The Inquiry is mandated to "dig" deep into the tragedy and to bring out all the evidence and the circumstances leading to the Bombing over Northern Ireland.
The two key contentious provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act that are up for renewal are:
1. Investigative hearings, which empower police to compel a witness believed to have information about a pending or past terrorist act to testify, behind closed doors, before a judge.
2. Preventive arrest, which empowers police to arrest and detain without bail, for up to 72 hours, any person suspected in a terrorism offence.
Families of the victims of the Air India crash, which killed 329 people, yesterday appealed to MPs to put aside their political differences and support the extension or renewal of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
"Our association worries that the government agencies will also lack the teeth to catch suspected terrorists and stop future attacks," said Bal Gupta, a spokesperson for the Air India Victims Families Association, who later joined Harper for a photo opportunity.
My take on this issue: There is a chance that the Vote this Tuesday will result in defeat for the extension of the renewal, unless the other opposition parties support the Government, which is also unlikely. Justice John Major has already made it Known that He may shut down the Inquiry if He can’t have the access to all the information and evidence due to limitations of the law.
The two provisions that are up for renewal were not known to be subjected to unnecessary abuse during their existence, and also will be necessary to conduct a full and impartial inquiry. I would like them extended duration of the inquiry subject to vote for renewal after, for the sake of the Air India Victims and their Families...
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/184981 For details go to this link..
Circumcision Cuts HIV Risk: Study
Feb 23, 2007 04:30 AM
PARIS–Trials showing male circumcision more than halves the risk of HIV infection are published in The Lancet today, giving the seal of approval to calls for circumcision to be launched cautiously as an AIDS prevention strategy.
The trials, conducted in Kenya and Uganda and earlier in South Africa, found that uncircumcised men were twice as likely to catch the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as their circumcised counterparts.
The data were so dramatic that the Kenya and Uganda trials were halted ahead of schedule for it would have been ethically wrong to continue them.
The Kenya-Uganda results were announced last year but their publication in the peer-assessed Lancet is the medical community's de-facto validation of the findings, and ensures circumcision's place in the war against AIDS.
"We have proof of a permanent intervention that can reduce the risk of HIV infection in men, which is positive news about prevention after past and current disappointments," said a commentary by Marie-Louise Newell and Till Barnighausen of South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Harvard School of Public Health.
for more details on the article pls. go to: http://www.thestar.com/article/184986
As stated in the study the procedure of circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, as compares to the traditional "do it yourself of olds" procedure that were followed mostly in the Philippines, which is the "splitting" of the foreskin -top, sides or combinations, without removing them.
The Hospital procedures are different and also follow the approved medical procedure of complete removal of the foreskin, but most male Pinoy who were not born in Hospital go the traditional way, which may not be effective in cutting the risk of the HIV infection.
There is no doubt that circumcision cut the risk not only of the HIV infection, but a lot of other STDs. But for some religious reasons and personal beliefs, would this study results will really translate into mass convincing of the world male population to go on "circumcise" and whose going to underwrite the funding, especially for the poor African Countries where the HIV infection is hitting the hardest...
