Females allowed to inherit Commonwealth throne (10/29/11)

Recently, the heads of Commonwealth countries have agreed to update some of the rules regarding royal succession. In efforts to modernize this selection process, the leaders have decided to remove certain restrictions discriminating against gender and religion. One of the previous rules was that the male children would come in front of the female children for being the monarch. From now on, it has been settled the first-born will be the heir, regardless of gender. Also, the monarch is now allowed to marry a Catholic. Prime minister Stephen Harper stated, "There was universal agreement, unanimous agreement that these changes simply recognize the equality of women and Catholics and they're not long overdue."

Personally, I was surprised when I read this article, most of all because such a rule still existed. Around the world, several countries have been criticized on their gender inequality, yet at the political peak of the Commonwealth, the male bore dominance. All in all, this is just another small business that needed to be taken care of.

Read the full article at: CTV

Population to hit 7 billion next week (10/28/11)

Next week, it has been estimated that the world population will reach 7 billion next Monday evening, during Halloween. To most people, this is a moment of celebration. However, this milestone has also raised several concerns to others. Conjectures about the future that were made in 1999, that the world population will stabilize and other global problems will be solved within the next few decades, are starting to seem less likely. UN's latest projections show that the world population will reach 10 billion by 2082. Global economic and environmental problems have not been improved upon, and the scarcity of resources continues to grow.

The main question that arises from this dilemma is sustainability. Can our Earth sustain a growing population and all the growing needs of each person? As ominous as it may sound, however, the root of this problem can be isolated to lack of access to contraception and gender inequity. If women had more rights, then fertility rates would be lower, and the fate of humanity would be brighter.

Read the full article at: The Chicago Tribune

Real-world "superhero" arrested (10/18/2011)

Last weekend in Seattle, an alleged superhero was arrested after he saved a man from getting beat up. Benjamin Fodor, aka Phoenix Jones, sprayed the assailant with pepper spray, for which the victim was grateful. Two hours later, he jumped into a group of people in front of club, and sprayed them too. He claimed that he was breaking up a fight, but the group said otherwise, so he was arrested.

The idea of real-world superheroes has been growing popular recently, especially in Seattle. In fact, Benjamin Fodor is one of the main forces behind the Rain City Superhero Movement, a group of "heroes" in Seattle. According to him, there is nothing wrong with what he did. "I decided to make a difference and stop crime in my neighbourhood," he said.

I find it pretty ironic that a superhero got arrested. It seemed to me like the group of people overreacted because he was wearing a costume. His intentions were clear, and he didn't mean to harm any innocent people. These people should not be deemed crazy because of their costumes. However, at the same time they need to realize that some criminals can't be caught with pepper spray, and require professional crime fighters.

Full article: The Globe and Mail

Youtube Space Lab - What will you do? (10/13/2011)

Your idea, in space. That's the grand prize of the new contest that Youtube and Lenovo have recently launched. Directed towards all students from 14 to 18 years old, this competition is an effort to develop interest in science in students and motivate a new generation of scientists. By December 7, participating students need to submit an experiment related to physics or biology that they would like to be conducted in space. These will be judged by a group of scientists from around the world, including Stephen Hawking. The winners will get to see their experiment streamed live from the International Space Station. Bharmal, who was heavily involved with this project, referred to the final live stream as "the world's largest classroom".

Because of my interest in science, I will participate in this contest and submit an experiment. I find that this is a new and innovative way to achieve a simple goal. I think that this is also a great opportunity to learn about outer space in a completely new way. This competition will definitely bring out the the best in many students. At the same time, this contest might also help scientists around the world with their experiments. According to me, the winning experiments could actually help lead to real discoveries.

Full article at: Washington Post

Debate for provinicial elections (10/4/2011)

Dalton McGinty, Andrea Horwath, and Tim Hudak

Last Tuesday, in spirit of the upcoming elections, the provincial representatives of Canada's three major political parties went against each other in a heated debate. Covered by TVO, the debate lasted for ninety minutes, within which six questions were asked to the leaders. Tim Hudak from the PC (Progressive Conservative Party), Dalton McGinty from the Liberal Party, and Andrea Horwath from the NDP (New Democratic Party) debated each topic diligently and punctiliously. The debate was very peaceful at the beginning, but became grew intense as they started to take personal shots at each other.

As soon as the debate started, it was clear where it was headed. Hudak, in his first few minutes, threw all of his points against McGuinty. In fact, most of the arguments from both Hudak and Horwath were presented against McGinty. According to me, McGinty did not make his party's plans clear, unlike the others. He kept a defensive stand during the whole debate. Horwath, who was more aggressive, struggled to keep her talk under the time limit and interrupted both leaders in their speeches. Personally, I liked Tim Hudak the best because he managed to effectively debate against the other parties, and at the same time he got his party's message across to the public. If I could vote, then it would be for Tim Hudak from the Conservatives.

Major research facility shuts down after 25 years (9/30/2011)

The Tevatron particle accelerator, one of the world's most powerful atom smashers, is being shut down after 25 years. Located in Chicago, this facility holds a significant importance in the history of subatomic physics. In this past quarter century, the Tevatron made several important discoveries, including the top quark, the heaviest of the most basic particles (that we know of) making up the universe. In addition to these discoveries, it was also close to the discovery of a particle that would have explained the origins of mass itself. However, since the US Department of Energy was not able to fund the extra 35 million dollars, the Tevatron was slated for shut down and fired its last particles this afternoon. Its parts will most likely be used in other facilities.

This closing, along with its space program closures, ends the era of "big science" in the US. I am not necessarily for or against this, because the discoveries will still be made, but by other programs. With that being said, I think that scientific research should be a collaborative effort, not competition. If scientific research was collaborative, then the Tevatron particle accelerator might not have shut down.

Full article at: BBC

Particle travels faster than speed of light (9/27/2011)

This weekend, scientists at CERN recorded particles travelling at a speed faster than that of light. This recent discovery shatters the fundamental basics of physics, in which it is explained through Einstein's famous equation, E=γMC^2, that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. The scientists recorded neutrinos, which are  extremely light, subatomic particles, travelling 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. None of the scientists believe their result, and even after finding no errors, they want scientists in Japan and USA to look over their experiment.

I think that it is very likely that there is a problem with their experiment. However, the thought of this experiment actually being right is very exciting, and I hope it is. If it is, then a lot of what we know could also be wrong, and there would be so much more to discover and understand, all from different point of view. Things like space and time travel sound less unbelievable.

Full article at: The Globe and Mail

Saudi Arabian women allowed to vote (9/25/2011)

Earlier this week, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has increased the political rights for women. Starting next term (this Thursday), these woman will be allowed to vote and run in municipal elections. They will also be allowed to be appointed to Saudi Arabia's most influential council (Shura council). This is a great leap forward, because in their personal and working lives, women have faced severe restrictions. They aren't allowed to drive or leave the country alone. For activists, this news was happily welcomed. After 20 years of campaigning about driving, guardianship, and voting, they have finally achieved something.
According to me, this change could have great influence in the lives of Saudi Arabians, as well as many people around the world. Whenever I read news like this, I know that the world is becoming a better place. Soon, other barriers against women will also be removed and women will have equal rights.

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Somali children win guns for prizes (9/20/2011)

A radio station in Somalia recently awarded Somali children guns in a competition. This was the third year that the Ramadan contest was held, in which children from the age of 10 to 12 had to properly recite the Koran. The Ramadan competition was hosted by a radio show linked with the Al-Qaeda. The first place was awarded an AK 47 and  $700, the second place was awarded and AK 47 and $500, and the third place was awarded two hand grenades and $400. They were all also given religious books. In previous years, RPGs have also been awarded. At the prize-giving ceremony, senior al-Shabab official Mukhtar Robow said, "Youths should use one hand for education and the other for a gun to defend Islam."

Learning about such events makes me feel sad from the inside, not because of the fact that there's a competition, but because it's for children. The intention of that competition was not to test the children's faith in god; it was rather to teach them to grow up fighting for their religion. To me, it doesn't seem right to brainwash children in this way. Being children, they don't understand that underlying intention. Instead, by watching this contest, many of the younger children would have been inspired to win it one day as well.

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Large satellite falling into Earth this weekend (9/19/2011)

This week, a large satellite will plummet to the ground as it ends its twenty-year orbit around the Earth. The "dead" satellite, called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), was used for studying the ozone layer and other chemical compounds in Earth's atmosphere. Originally sent for a 3-year mission, it lasted for 14 years, until more recent technologies rendered it outdated. It was expected to fall in early October, but recent solar activity has caused the Earth's atmosphere to expand, which in turn slowed down the spacecraft. Officials are unsure as to exactly when and where it will come in contact with Earth. However, they are certain that the UARS will enter the atmosphere within a day of this Friday. Of the 6.5 tons of spacecraft, 0.5 tons of it (at least twenty pieces) are expected to pass through the atmosphere and land on Earth, the largest piece estimated to being around 331 pounds. This fact raises a concern: could it be dangerous? NASA has estimated that the chances of the debris hitting a person is 1 out of 3,200, which is highly unlikely. Also, on average, one satellite as large as the UARS falls into Earth each year, and no one has ever been hit by spacecraft debris. Despite this possibility, many scientists and sky-watchers (including myself) will be looking for the satellite this weekend.

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