Telus indicted over cell phone records

"It took nearly five months and two legal orders for Telus Corp. to start handing over cellphone records to the RCMP to help track a possible serial killer stalking Edmonton-area prostitutes."

Read the whole atricle in the Globe and Mail:
Telus indicted over cell phone records

Why Bertuzzi and Heatley should stay home

It's sad when "incidents" like this happen. But it's even worse when a punch from behind is OK for the olympic team.

Personally I believe Mr. Bertuzzi should never have been allowed back on the ice. Nevertheless he's playing again and, as the New York Times announces today, Canada Selects Bertuzzi [for the Olympic Games in Torino]. The Times also comments on the picking of Dany Heatley. Although there is something to be said that his "incident" happened outside the rink, anyone with a second-degree vehicular homicide criminal record should not represent Canada at the Olympic Games.

And I thought that Wayne Gretzky was a man of decent principles...

See also a few other blogs:

Leave Bertuzzi at home

Bertuzzi VS Heatley

Most Israelis Oppose Strike Against Iran

A survey in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth showed that most people Israelis believe the dispute over Iran's atomic program should be handled diplomatically.

Read the full article here:
Most Israelis Oppose Strike Against Iran

Bush is not the disease; only the symptom

An interesting view on American Democracy by Frances Moore Lappe can be found on the Huffington Post today.

In short Moore Lappe explains that Bush is not the problem; the American version of democracy is. With wise words she concludes that everyone needs to create a living democracy:

As the deadly consequences of thin democracy –- a disastrous war, torture in our name, the post-Katrina debacle, and daily disclosures of cronyism and corruption fill us with shame, let’s dig to the root of our pain. Exposing Bush’s ineptitude and deception isn’t enough. It’s time to reframe the very meaning of democracy and get on with creating a real one.

Read the complete post: Bush Isn'’t the Problem: The Weakness of our Thin Democracy

See also Ira Chernus' article (July 2003) on Bush's Lies being the symptom

Lawsuit Charges CIA with Kidnapping and Torture of German Citizen

Canada is not alone when it comes to citizens that appear to have been tortured after being kidnapped by the CIA. A federal lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a German citizen. Khaled El-Masri was detained while on vacation in Macedonia. Once in CIA custody he claims to have been tortured.

Read the whole story at Democracy Now!: Lawsuit Charges CIA with Kidnapping and Torture of German Citizen

Common Dreams: German Citizen Held in Secret Prison Sues Ex-CIA Director

Interview with Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas, Veteran White House correspondent still hopes to see peace:

You always feel and hope that whoever lives in the White House is a man of peace and will work in every possible way to the last resort for peace. Because war is horrible. There are no winners, really, in the end. So much pain and so forth. And so unnecessary. There are peaceful solutions to most problems.

Read Mitch Jeserich's complete interwiew with Helen Thomas (scroll down)

First RIAA "illegal downloading" trial

It's going to happen; a New York mother of five children is not going to pay the 3,000 - 4,000 dollars to settle with the RIAA (a.k.a. Big Music: Sony BMG, Vivendi Universal, Warner Music and EMI) over some songs that she's accused of having downloaded.

Here's the list of songs:

* Lit "Happy"
* Incubus "Nowhere fast"
* Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life"
* UB40 "Can't Help Falling in Love"
* Godsmack "Whatever"
* Foo Fighters "Breakout"

Value? Probably about $6 dollars (Apple's iTunes sells songs online for 99¢ each).

"We haven't seen a trial on this issue yet because the RIAA has generously offered to settle the suits for amounts in the US$3000-4000 range, rather than the tens of thousands they would demand if they prevailed in court. To date, more than three thousand people have coughed up. Santangelo vows to fight on, though, claiming that the likely culprit is not her but a friend's child who used her computer."

"I'm willing to take it as far as I have to prevent other innocent people being dragged into frivolous lawsuits," she told p2pnet.net. "It's wrong."

See the full posting here: First RIAA p2p file share trial