Motley Moose – Archive

It has often been said that the arts promote learning and can inspire a culture of peace and hope. Along the same lines, there is an interesting resolution to story coming out of Israel this week that tests this adage.

The case began earlier this year with Ala Halihal, an Arab-Israeli or Israeli-Palestinian, seeking permission from the Israeli government to go to Lebanon to receive an award as winner of the “Beirut 39” literature competition. The event, which is awarding 39 Arab writers up to the age of 39, was developed as part of a UNESCO project. Essentially what happened was…

Earlier this week mysterious ‘bulletlike objects’ were seen in the sky off the coast of Newfoundland. Theories of its origins range from a UFO, French Missile to a toy rocket.

After last fall and news from Iran its no surprise the power Twitter has had on politics world-wide. Another case of a tweet that has had immense power locally is that of user @OGLE_Toronto who on Friday posted a TwitPic on their Twitter account of a sleeping Toronto Transit Commision ticket collector.

With the release of today’s Pew Research Center report, many preconceived ideas about the economic dynamics of marriage seem to be turned on their head.

Entitled “The New Economics of Marriage: The Rise of Wives,” the study shows that a “larger share of women today, compared with their 1970 counterparts, have more education and income than their spouses. As a result, in recent decades the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men than for women.”

Brian Thomas, a British man who claims to have strangled his wife during a nightmare about fighting off an intruder has been found innocent in her death. Prosecutors seem to have accepted Thomas’ claim that he had a sleep disorder and had no control over his body when he attacked his wife of 40 years while they were both asleep.

Reuters is reporting that CNN host Lou Dobbs is leaving the 24-hour cable news network immediately because he wants a freer platform to state his opinion.

As the host of Lou Dobbs Tonight, he has been one of the most controversial figures on the cable channel for his strong views on illegal immigration and the platform he has provided for the birther movement.

Researchers with the B.C. Cancer Agency have become the first-ever to decode the DNA of breast cancer cells, and have discovered that gene mutations in those tumours shift as the disease spreads.

These findings were presented in the Nature journal, and chart the genetic mutations that occurred in the 3 billion letters of the DNA sequence from an estrogen-receptor-alpha-positive breast tumour. It has been said that this discovery will provide unprecedented understanding about how breast cancer progresses.

Chair of breast cancer research at the BC Cancer Agency and Canada research chair in molecular oncology, Dr. Samuel Aparicio said of the results:

Not much of a diary but I am stunned at what I just saw. Namely that before the Senate Finance Committee wrapped up for the weekend, members debated one of Senator Jon Kyl’s of Arizona amendments, which would strike language defining which benefits employers are required to cover.

This 2009 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been shrouded in controversy this week after a variety of film makers, actors, academics, and activists signed and released a statement called the “Toronto Declaration: No Celebration of Occupation” alleging amongst other things that the Festival:

has become complicit in the Israeli propaganda machine.

The protesters loose claims stem from the Festival’s selection of Tel Aviv for it’s City to City Program which showcases 10 films by local filmmakers. In its inaugural year, “the goal of City to City is to take a closer look at global cities through a cinematic lens, especially cities where film contributes to or chronicles social change in compelling ways.”

(cross posted at kickin it with cg)

On a recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged 17 million dollars in new funding to combat sexual violence. Sadly though that’s not the story most of the media is covering.

Instead there has been intense focus on Clinton’s snippy response to an apparently rude question from a Congolese student during a forum in Kinshasa:

“We’ve all heard about the Chinese contracts in this country – the interferences from the World Bank against this contract. What does Mr. Clinton think, through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton, and what does Mr. Mutumbo think on this situation?”