Political News Views and Reviews Blog

Digital project preserves memories of Civil Right movement

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:07:00 +0000

Her memory is creaky, Dwania Kyles insisted, and most of the photographs that help unlock it are stored in her computer. But recently, sitting in a warren of rooms in Harlem as the light outside faded, she had a rush of recollections about her family and the night that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. did not come to dinner.

Kyles and Thomas Allen Harris, a documentary filmmaker, had donned white gloves to thumb through photographs of her parents in high school.

“My parents left the promised land to jump into the lion’s den,” she said of their move from Chicago to Memphis, Tenn., to join the civil rights movement.

On the evening in 1968 that King was expected at their home for soul food, her father, the Rev. Samuel B. Kyles, ended up with him on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where King was felled by an assassin.

Harris and Kyles, a 55-year-old wellness consultant and songwriter who lives in Harlem, were in his office ferreting out information for the filmmaker’s Digital Diaspora Family Reunion project. Since 2009, Harris has collected photographs and stories from families, putting those and filmed interviews onto his website.

Now, Harris is taking his show onto the stage, presenting the stories he’s collected to a live audience using interactive media and old-fashioned storytelling. On Sunday afternoon, after dry runs around the country, the show will have its debut at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse. (The event will be streamed live to the website.) At Harlem Stage and in future reunion cities, the enlarged photographs and accompanying stories will be presented to audiences who will be invited to trade family histories, ask questions and even identify people and locations. The project will also work as community history, with its glances at the places and people that define neighbourhoods.

“It’s survivors and ‘firsts,”’ Harris said of the people he is documenting, few of them celebrities. “It’s the stories in history books and films about civil rights.”

As a kind of curator/master of ceremonies, Harris, who has made two acclaimed documentaries, “The 12 Disciples of Nelson Mandela,” about South African exiles who were part of the African National Congress and the anti-apartheid movement, and “E Minha Cara/That’s My Face,” about spirituality, looks to figure out which stories enlarge and provide context for many aspects of black life, from immigration to education to military service.

“We are living with gold – one person in Atlanta came with a truckload of images dating back to the 1850s,” he said.

Photographs and stories can also be directly uploaded to the website, which features interviews with scholars, news about family reunions and images by black photographers.

A Harvard graduate who is in his ‘40s, grew up in the Bronx and spent time in East Africa, Harris had long encouraged fans of his work to collect their own family stories, as he has done in his deeply personal films. It struck him that social media could be used to archive and share the results. His younger brother, Lyle Ashton Harris, is a prominent photographer and artist known for work that fuses aesthetic considerations and sociopolitical observation.

“All of my work is about identity, about how we represent ourselves to ourselves,” Thomas Allen Harris said. “We take grandma for granted. We need to understand that instead of looking outside ourselves for value, we can look inside.”

On Wednesday through Friday, Harris will set up shop at the Gatehouse so people can bring him their family photographs and other documents. The photographs that Harris selects will be digitized and put onto a DVD for their owner. All will be shown as part of a slide show at Harlem Stage, and some will be expanded into an interactive film for the website.

A tip for clueless investors

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:40:00 +0000

The best of the Web on money, markets and all things financial, as chosen daily by Globe and Mail personal finance columnist Rob Carrick.

A Tip for Clueless Investors

Avoid stocks - that’s the argument in this post on a blog called Canadian Dream: Free at 45.

One of the foremost voices in the avoid stocks school of retirement saving is David Trahair, author of Enough Bull: How to Retire Well without the Stock Market, Mutual Funds, or Even an Investment Advisor.

MediaThe loonie poll VideoNew to investing? Hit the books!VideoRetirement crisis? What retirement crisis?InteractiveReduce spending

Cheapness, Canadian Style

Add Northern Cheapskate to your list of websites devoted to coupons, freebies and discounts. Here, you’ll find ideas on where to obtain free books online.

Four-Wheel Bargains

Ten cars that are cheap to own.

Sneaky Snakes And Their Sales Tricks

Ten ways that salespeople try to get you buy stuff. I’ve encountered almost all of them in car dealerships over the years.

Editor's note: If you don't receive Rob Carrick's newsletter twice weekly by email, you can sign up to get it for free at The Globe and Mail. All you need to do is register for the site, or if you've already registered, login and go to your profile at the top of the homepage. Once you're in your profile, look under Newsletters and Alerts and look for the Personal Finance Reader and other newsletters. Other financial newsletters include: Business Ticker, a summary of the day's top business stories; Berman's Market Update, a summary of the markets at the open, noon and close; and All-Star Investors, a monthly collection of articles exploring an investing trend or theme.

Jennifer Beals: Bringing it all back home

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:15:00 +0000

After nearly three decades in film and television, Jennifer Beals has come home.

The striking actress has finally shed all vestiges of her Flashdance days with her new TV role as a tough lady cop on The Chicago Code, which, as the title suggests, films in her hometown of Chicago.

Born in the windy city to working-class parents, Beals was a model in her teens but also expanded her mind at Yale University, where she received her Bachelor's degree in American literature. She took on a small role in the 1980 filmed-in-Chicago feature My Bodyguard, but three years later she was the main attraction in Flashdance.

As the film's lead character, Alex, she played a feisty young woman who was a welder by day and exotic dancer by night. Flashdance was a global hit and thereafter Beals took on a steady succession of intriguing film roles, playing an undead beauty in The Bride (1985), a hot-blooded bloodsucker in Vampire's Kiss (1989) and a temptress in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995).

In 2004, Beals made the transition to TV playing the strong-willed Bette Porter on Showtime's The L Word, which ran six seasons. In recent years, she has done cameo turns in TV series including Frasier and Lie To Me. On Chicago Code, however, she's back home, back in the spotlight and loving every minute of it. She sat down for an interview last week in Toronto.

Who was the role model for playing the female police superintendent on The Chicago Code?

There was no template, really. I mean, you look at women like Hillary Clinton. You look at her presidential campaign. How she was characterized if she was emotional, or if she wasn't emotional. Those criticisms wouldn't have come up had she been a man. It makes you realize that when a woman is powerful and in a position of leadership, the rules are very different.

How important is it for your character to keep up her tough outer veneer?

Well, she is tough, so that isn't so much a veneer.

Are you the type of person who pays attention to weekly Nielsen ratings?

It doesn't affect me. I know some people pay close attention to ratings, but it doesn't affect how I play the character. At the end of the day I have no control over it, so it's silly to give myself something else to worry about.

Is it a personal bonus to shoot in your hometown of Chicago?

Of course, but remember I haven't been back in 20-odd years. The city has changed a great deal. All the neighbourhoods have changed. But I still feel a protectiveness of Chicago. I feel a great love for the city that I don't have to feign, so that makes my job easier.

Is the show partly an homage to the city itself? Without a doubt Chicago is a character on the show. The amazing architecture and the discrepancy between the affluent neighbourhoods and the neighbourhoods that have nothing. And then there's the constant movement--the L train is in the background all the time. There's helicopters, buses and cars. All these characters are trying to stay ahead in this city that is in constant flux, not only physically, but politically.

Can you recall the moment or event that pushed you toward acting?

I remember doing Fiddler on the Roof in high school and I was playing Hodel. During my solo I had one little moment where reality was kind of muted. It was one tiny millisecond of being transcended. And I thought, ‘Wow, that was amazing.' I also remember volunteer-ushering at the Steppenwolf Theatre and seeing Balm in Gilead with Joan Allen. It was so visceral and so present. It actually shifted the paradigm for me of what acting and theatre could be.

Province to table bill on making TTC an essential service

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Transit workers in Canada’s largest city face losing the right to strike as the province moves decisively toward declaring their work an essential service.

The McGuinty government will introduce legislation on Tuesday, banning Toronto Transit Commission workers from walking off the job.

The proposed bill, which will receive first reading in the legislature on Tuesday afternoon, follows a request by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to ban transit workers from striking. In December, city council voted 28-17 in favour of making future strike action by transit union members illegal.

“We have received a proposal from Toronto city council. We have listened to them. We have talked to representatives of the workers as well and of course we have heard from many Torontonians,” Premier Dalton McGuinty told reporters on Tuesday morning, shortly before the legislature begins its spring session. “Whatever we do, it’s all about helping the people of Toronto, ensuring that their needs are being met.”

More than 100,000 Torontonians rely on public transit to get around the city every day, so when workers walk off the job, as they did briefly in 2008, commuters are left stranded and the economy loses an estimated $50-million a day.

Time is of the essence in introducing the legislation. The first of three collective agreements with unionized transit workers expires on March 31. Union leaders have promised not to strike during the upcoming round of talks for a new agreement.

Libyan forces continue with crackdown on dissent

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:42:00 +0000

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Libyan forces continue with crackdown on dissentAP VideoPublished Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 11:06AM ESTLibyan forces were reportedly cracking down on anti-government protesters in the capital overnight, while elsewhere in the Middle East demonstrations were continuing in Bahrain and Yemen.0 comments Email Print Decrease text size Increase text size

Gadhafi briefly appears on TV amid protestsMore videos in:Our picks News Investing Business Tech Sports Arts Drive Life Popular $("#article-video-nav li a").click(function(){$("#article-video-nav li").each(function(){$(this).removeClass("selected");});$(this).parent("li").addClass("selected");var sec = $(this)[0].id;$("#video-content").addClass('transition');$(".loading").show();$.ajax({url: '/template/ver2-0/article/article.video.list.jsp',dataType: 'html',data: {sec: '',owner: sec,currArt: '1915830',dir: '/template/ver1-0',dir2: '/template/ver2-0',pub: '350'},success: function(html) {$("#video-content-container").html(html);$("#video-content").removeClass('transition');$(".loading").hide();}});return false;});02:09 Libyan forces continue with crackdown on dissentTuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 11:06AM EST

Libyan forces were reportedly cracking down on anti-government protesters in the capital overnight, while elsewhere in the Middle East demonstrations were continuing in Bahrain and Yemen.

01:34 Exercise slows effects of aging in mice: studyTuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 9:29AM EST

If mice are anything to go by, exercising on a treadmill for 45 minutes three times a week might help stave off the effects of aging. A Canadian study shows the workouts prevented brain and muscle atrophy and hair loss in mice.

02:37 Missing wallet returned after 40 yearsTuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 9:10AM EST

A New York man whose wallet disappeared from his jacket pocket has gotten it back, 40 years later.

02:25 Quake devastates New Zealand cityTuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 6:31AM EST

A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake on New Zealand's South Island has devastated the city of Christchurch, killing at least 65 people and trapping many more under collapsed buildings.

01:02 Raw Video: Powerful quake strikes New ZealandTuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 3:18AM EST

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Tuesday, causing buildings to collapse, burying vehicles under debris, and sending rescuers scrambling to help trapped people amid reports of many deaths.

02:26 Gadhafi briefly appears on TV amid protestsTuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 1:17AM EST

Moammar Gadhafi went on Libyan state TV early Tuesday, trying to show he was still in charge. Deep rifts have opened in his regime, with government officials resigning, air force pilots defecting and a bloody crackdown in the country's capital.

01:31 Clashes intensify in Libya, Bahrain, YemenMonday, Feb. 21, 2011 4:21PM EST

The long-time governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen are fighting to hang on to power as anti-government protests against the rulers continue.

01:32 Gadhafi's son warns of civil war in LibyaMonday, Feb. 21, 2011 9:41AM EST

The son of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi warned in a nationally televised address early on Monday that continued anti-government protests might lead to a civil war that could send the country's oil wells up in flames.

00:33 Dog rescued after two days on cliffMonday, Feb. 21, 2011 9:41AM EST

Rescue crews came to the aid of a North Carolina dog that survived two days perched on a steep cliff.

01:48 Hundreds dead in Libya security crackdownSunday, Feb. 20, 2011 12:14PM EST

Libyan forces fired machine-guns at mourners marching in a funeral for anti-government protesters in Benghazi. The crackdown is shaping up to be the most brutal repression of protests that began with uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next page$(".gam-pagination a").click(function(){var page = $(this)[0].href.split('page')[1];var currPage = '1';if(currPage != page){$("#video-content").addClass('transition');$(".loading").show();$.ajax({url: '/template/ver2-0/article/article.video.list.jsp',dataType: 'html',data: {sec: 'newsvideo',owner: 'news',currArt: '1915573',page: page,dir: '/template/ver1-0',dir2: '/template/ver2-0',pub: ''},success: function(html) {$("#video-content-container").html(html);$("#video-content").removeClass('transition');$('html, body').animate({scrollTop: $("#video-content-container").offset().top}, 400);$(".loading").hide();}});}return false;});Loading... Today's Must Reads Globe Drive Why visiting the auto show is like meeting Madonna Sports Brian Burke keeps finger on trigger Life Woman attacks roommate over Girl Scout cookies Globe Investor Avoid RRSP tax with a proper beneficiary Globe Drive Deals of the week: Mazda3, Prius, Dodge Journey and Kia ForteMore from The Globe and Mail Report On Business To tweet bug Tony Clement: What about jobs for our kids?Sports NHL duds become dudes Life I’ve quit three 10K races. This time, it’ll be different (no really, I swear)Life Alzheimer Café in Nova Scotia town first of its kind in CanadaMOST POPULAR STORIES'I will not leave the country,' Gadhafi says Four Americans killed by pirates off Somalia’s coast Elderly woman’s daily pizza habit may have saved her life: police New Zealand earthquake kills at least 65, traps many more Once committed to democracy, Gadhafi’s son now crushes all dissent Back to topMORE TOP STORIES News Gadhafi calls on supporters to take to Libya's streets Opinions Warm compassionate smile coach Sports Canucks' Hamhuis evaluates NHL future Life Winter birdwatching in the Big Apple Globe Drive Five license-killer exotic cars Technology EU files new antitrust complaint against Google Photos TV: Five shows worth watching tonight Best pictures from the past 24 hours Fashion photos of the week Video Quake devastates New Zealand city Kate Middleton, style icon Missing wallet returned after 40 years Globe2Go e-Edition Mobile Newsletters Newspaper RSS Home News Commentary Business Investing Sports Life Arts Technology Drive Site mapMore Sections Appointments Art Store Births & Announcements Careers Globe Campus Classifieds Classroom Edition Contests Deaths Newspaper Ads Real Estate Special Reports Sustainability mandate Globe PlusSubscribeGlobe RecognitionRecognition cardAdvertise Advertise with us Newspaper Magazine Online Marketing Solutions Group Media Central Classifieds Online Help Contact Us Newspaper Customer Care Contact Us Staff Press Room Corrections Subscribe Vacation Stops Change Address Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Disclaimer

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Must-watch TV: The revolution, starring Libya, Bahrain . . . and Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:19:00 +0000

The most gripping, intoxicating drama on TV right now is the revolution.

Yes, the general revolution, not just the events in the Arab world. Thing is, watching TV you get to see and feel how everything might fit together, loosely and unfiltered. What television news does is illuminate the principle of the instability of meaning. When events are fluid, attunement to everything is necessary. What is bewildering is bewitching because television allows us to derive our own meaningful iconography from the images and events. The shape of the meaning shifts endlessly.

Previous columns by John DoyleParis Hilton at 30: The defining figure of the decade A few bright hopes in CBC’s otherwise dreary season The U.S. TV success formula: Feed (and feed on) the fear

PhotosTV: Five shows worth watching tonight

Sunday was one of those days when one struggled to grasp meaning from the madness. Sunday morning, I watched Fox News Sunday. Always a bracing experience, watching the Fox News’s spin on events. The big deal was a chat with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. The Governor is trying to reverse about a century of labour rights in his state by removing the right to collective bargaining, and about 70,000 people had turned out in Madison, Wis., on Saturday to voice their opinions on this, most of them state employees and most against the Governor’s plan. Some had been protesting for days and were camped out in the state legislature. Democratic members of the legislature there had fled the state, to stop any vote on the plan.

The Fox host, Chris Wallace, took the view that Walker was taking a tough stand. He allowed Walker to talk on and on. Things I learned: Walker’s brother is a catering manager at a Madison hotel, his brother’s wife works at Sears, and he and his wife have “two beautiful daughters.” Things that occurred to me: There is probably some symbiotic relationship between the mass protests in Wisconsin and the mass protests in the Arab world. At the very least, people in Wisconsin were emboldened by events in Egypt, surely? Also Scott Walker is doing the “strongman leader” thing, which isn’t actually going over well in some parts of the world right now. Further, that apart from Fox News, events in Madison, which clearly make for great TV images, had been too little covered by the U.S. news channels.

Later, after watching Barcelona play Athletic Bilbao on GOL TV, the first thing that occurred to me was: Watching Barcelona play is one of life’s great pleasures. The orchestral manoeuvres, the balletic grace. It’s a Sunday afternoon in Canada, and I’m watching live soccer from Spain. Thank heavens for television. And I hope every young soccer player who can watch is emboldened by watching Barcelona.

Then I turned to the Al Jazeera channel. This is Al Jazeera’s hour. As its part of the world erupts, the coverage is continually compelling. Sunday, the channel was monitoring events in Libya. It was utter confusion. A man from Benghazi was on the phone and on the air. He said he’d heard that Moammar Gadhafi had fled to Venezuela and other members of Gadhafi’s family had fled to Europe. This was unconfirmed, as the Al Jazeera anchor pointed out.

Next thing, up pops Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, giving a speech on Libyan State Television. It was an extraordinary performance, by our standards, anyway. Obviously having no text to read, he rambled for 30 minutes, wagging his finger, waving his arms and glaring. It was the middle of the night in Tripoli, about 1 a.m., and the man seemed demented – threats and promises all mixed up with bizarre accusations. The army made mistakes. Tanks were driven by people on drugs. Libya would descend into multiple states. It would be like living in North and South Korea. Change was possible – more money for workers, a new national anthem perhaps. Tomorrow, a new Libya. On the other hand, no surrender to the opposition. Outside forces were manipulating events and that’s a shocking development.

Right. Over on CNN, a guy at the news desk introduced a university expert on Libya who said the speech was “insulting.” Later on CNN, there was an interview with a member of the family of King Idris, who had ruled Libya until Gadhafi’s coup overthrew the monarchy in 1969. The CNN anchor called the guy, “Your Highness,” which sounded weird. The Highness praised the people of Libya, “especially the women.” It occurred to me that the Highness, unused to TV appearances, looked exceedingly smug.

By the time The National aired on CBC on Sunday, thee wasn’t much more to report from Libya, but Wendy Mesley narrowed her eyes and looked way-serious anyway. An exhausted-looking Nahlah Ayed did some punditry from London. One understood the exhaustion. All that turmoil. Nobody ever thought that the Libyan regime might fall and now it looked to be teetering. No mention of events in Wisconsin, though. It occurred to me that although CBC couldn’t get reporters into Libya – nobody could – it could get excellent reports from Wisconsin, if it tried.

Over on Al Jazeera again, there was a roundup of events across the world, as the world is seen by the channel. Libya. Tunisia. Egypt. Bahrain. Morocco. Yemen. Then Uganda. And then, Wisconsin. Somebody at Al Jazeera obviously figured that, as the news agenda was all about turmoil, public demonstrations and people power, events in Wisconsin might as well be included.

The channel briefly and simply gave a snapshot of the mass protests and the political showdown. It was left to the viewer to extrapolate more. What to extrapolate? The meaning of events in Wisconsin will probably have a more profound effect on people in the United States and Canada than events in the Arab world. It deserves better coverage on TV. And instability is everywhere, thanks to TV images.

Study finds many graphic YouTube self-harm videos

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:57:00 +0000

YouTube videos on cutting and other self-injury methods are an alarming new trend, attract millions of hits and could serve as a how-to for troubled viewers, a study warns.

Many videos show bloody live enactments or graphic photos of people cutting their arms or legs with razors or other sharp objects, the study found. Many also glamorize self-injury and few videos discourage it, the study authors said.

They also feature haunting music and rich imagery that may attract young self-injurers and trigger the behaviour, especially in those who have just started to self-injure, the authors suggest.

Canadian psychologist Stephen Lewis, a study co-author, said he found more than 5,000 YouTube videos on self-injury. The study focused on 100 videos the authors found in December 2009. Their analysis was published online Monday in Pediatrics.

The 100 videos were viewed more than 2 million times and generated many online comments.

Parents and mental health professionals should be aware of the YouTube postings and that the videos might be perpetuating the problem, said Lewis, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

The study's authors also recommended that YouTube provide helpful resources or links when people enter search terms for “self-injury.” A company spokeswoman said YouTube is looking into the feasibility of the suggestion.

She said the site has policies against graphic content and content that encourages dangerous activities. It relies on viewers to flag questionable videos, and a YouTube team reviews and removes those in violation of those policies. Self-injury videos are among those that have been removed.

Self-injury is most common among young people. Between 14 per cent and 24 per cent of teens and young adults have engaged in self-injury at least once, Lewis said. Cutting is among the most common methods.

Psychologist Tracy Knight, an associate professor at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., is interviewed in a documentary-style YouTube video about cutting that has been viewed more than 14,000 times and generated more than 80 comments.

Knight said the video was done by a student and he didn't know it was on YouTube. The video's opening scenes include a young woman poking a sharp tool into her leg.

Knight said such videos may inadvertently trigger self-harm, but that YouTube also can serve a benefit by taking self-injury out of the closet and into the public realm.

“It makes it open for social discussion . . . in a way that was not possible when it was secret,” he said.

Lewis said therapists who treat self-injurers should consider asking their patients if they watch these videos and counsel them about possible effects. Parents, too, should be aware that kids may be watching the videos and discuss the issue with them, he said.

Self-injurers typically are struggling with feelings of anger, sadness, depression or other emotional troubles, and usually don't cut deep enough to cause major harm, said Barent Walsh, a therapist and author of a book on self-injury treatment.

Self-injuring “is oddly effective in reducing emotional distress” in people who have poor coping skills, Walsh said.

He said it's well-known that photos and websites about self-injury can trigger the behaviour in people who already self-injure or who are tempted to do it. But he said the study results are important and raise concerns that YouTube “may well be the most powerful influence of them all because of its nature.”

Facebook broadens relationship status

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:42:00 +0000

This time last year Facebook measured the overall happiness of its users. Based on your relationship status and positive posts, the social networking site determined that people who shared that they were dating, married, or engaged were the most content. Those users who didn't disclose their relationship status appeared to be the most unhappy.

While this speaks volumes for hooking up, due to the narrow nature of options within Facebook's relationship status menu they were likely ignoring a large number of members who didn't fall neatly into one of these groups. This week, the company has added 'civil unions' and 'domestic partnerships' to its list of options.

As GLADD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) President Jarrett Barrios said on the organization's blog, “By acknowledging the relationships of countless loving and committed same-sex couples in the U.S. and abroad, Facebook has set a new standard of inclusion for social media.” This move also makes it easier for the increasingly number of couples who have lived together for years, but are not engaged or married.

However, all this love doesn't help those people out there who are perpetually Facebook single. For them, the relationship status of their online crush can be like a dagger in the heart. Well, unless a break-up is in the works. That's where the brand new Breakup Notifier can help. This app makes it easy to follow friends in relationships and find out when they broadcast that it's over, so you can “strike when the iron's hot.”

If you love Facebook but find all this relationship status stuff a little high school-ish, do what many do and opt out of digital PDA altogether. Simply go into your Account's Privacy Settings and don't share your relationship status with anyone but yourself.

Four Americans killed by pirates off Somalias coast

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Monday, the U.S. military said, marking the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years.

The U.S. Central Command says negotiations had been under way to try to win release of the two couples on the pirated vessel Quest.

Gunshots were heard, but when U.S. forces reached the yacht, they found all four hostages had been shot.

The yacht Quest was hijacked on Friday off the coast of Oman, and owned by Scott Adam and his wife Jean, a couple from California. Organizers of the Blue Water Rally yacht race said the couple had with them two other Americans, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, both from Seattle.

The Adams, who were members of the Marina del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Ray, California, run a Bible ministry, according to their website, and had been sailing the world with a yacht full of Bibles since 2004. They had been distributing the Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in areas including the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia.

Robert K. Johnston of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena told The Associated Press that Mr. Adam — who last year earned a master of theology degree from the school — had sent friends emails detailing his international sailing trip. But Mr. Adam went silent Feb. 12 to avoid revealing the location of his yacht, the Quest, to pirates.

Mr. Johnston said that despite an adventurous spirit, the Adams were meticulous planners who knew the dangers they faced. The couple had sailed with a large flotilla to stay safe from pirates near Thailand earlier in the trip.

“They knew and we knew they still had to go by the Somalia coast,” he said.

Mr. Adam, now in his mid-60s, had been an associate producer in Hollywood when he turned in a spiritual direction and enrolled in the seminary a decade ago, Mr. Johnston said.

“He decided he could take his pension, and he wanted to serve God and humankind,” he said.

Mr. Johnston and Mr. Adam worked together to start a film and theology institute. Mr. Adam also taught a class on church and media at the school.

Craig Detweiler, a professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, who attended Fuller with Mr. Adam in the 1990s and early 2000s, also recalled his friend's adventurous spirit.

“It is safe to say all of his family and friends covet the prayers and concerns of the international community,” Mr. Detweiler said.

Two pirates died during the ensuing confrontation with U.S. Navy forces, and 13 were captured and detained. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead also were found. In total the U.S. said that 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking of the Quest.

The hijacking of their yacht came two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. That case ended when Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's captain.

Pirates have increased attacks on ships off the coast of East Africa, but Americans have rarely been targeted. The last attack against a U.S. crew — in 2009 — ended with Navy sharpshooters killing two pirates and rescuing the ship's captain.

Pirates currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages, not counting the attack against the Quest.

The best-known case of Westerners being held hostage in Somalia was that of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held for 388 days. The two, who were captured while sailing in their private yacht, were released in November.

Radioheads new album: Not easy, but rewarding

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:03:00 +0000

The King of Limbs
Radiohead (Self-released)

For most people, the phrase “headphone music” suggests a throwback to the sort of trippy, effects-laden productions that became popular once rock bands discovered both hallucinogens and stereo panning. Tell someone today that a new release is ideal for headphone listening, and the response you’re most likely to get is a sarcastic, “Wow, man, that’s really heavy.”

Media"Lotus Flower" video MediaBONUS: "Lotus Flower" video set to "Yakety Sax"

Nonetheless, “headphone music” makes a pretty fair description of Radiohead’s eighth effort, The King of Limbs – and not just because the album, which is currently available only as a download from the band’s website, is obvious iPod fodder.

Unlike the band’s breakthrough albums, OK Computer and Kid A, there’s nothing broad stroke about the eight tunes collected here. These songs don’t reach out through the speakers and grab you by the collar; instead, they expect their audience to have the patience and focus to hear the structure in the shifting soundscapes, or to recognize when melodies function as rhythms or rhythms as melodies.

In short, they ask us to listen as closely as if we were studying for a test – even if we’re the ones who will end up grading them.

That probably isn’t the smartest approach in the insta-pundit world of Internet media, nor did Radiohead do much to ensure that the fans and critics would take their time when digesting the album. Not even five days passed between the Facebook posting announcing the album and the first downloads from the band’s website, and the earliest reviews offered mostly confusion, with a number of critics complaining that the songs lacked choruses, that there aren’t any guitar songs, and that – horror of horrors – it didn’t sound much like the band’s previous albums.

Of those three points only the last one is valid, but it takes some effort on the listener’s end to recognize that. For one thing, the band’s component parts – guitars, bass, drums – are often electronically altered or replaced with synthetic versions. Even singer Thom Yorke has his vocals sliced, diced and digitally scrambled.

Hence Codex, which on another album might have been a hypnotic piano ballad like Pyramid Song from Amnesiac, instead becomes a slippery symphony in pastels with Yorke’s falsetto soaring above a thrumming electronic pulse. Likewise, the acoustic and electric guitars that flesh out Give Up the Ghost get pushed to the side as Yorke’s repeated phrase, “In your arms” is distorted and processed until it almost sounds like a slide-guitar lick.

Sure, there are songs, such as the dubstep-inflected Feral, that are genuine abstractions, but most of the material is, structurally, fairly conventional – provided you listen carefully enough to follow the thread. And while it’s true that the lyrics sometimes verge on indecipherable, Yorke’s exaggerated delivery seems to argue that the words themselves are less important than how their syllables fit into the melody (an approach likely to confound much of the music media).

The King of Limbs isn’t an easy album, nor is it likely to be every fan’s favourite. But those who admire the musical audacity of Radiohead’s past few albums will find much to adore – especially the parts that take a few days under the headphones to figure out.

Elderly womans daily pizza habit may have saved her life: police

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Authorities say a pizza delivery driver who was concerned about a regular customer may have saved the elderly woman's life.

Domino's delivery driver Susan Guy told WMC-TV that Jean Wilson has ordered pizza every day for the past three years.

On Monday, Ms. Guy said her boss told her Ms. Wilson hadn't called in three days. Ms. Guy insisted on going to check on the woman. When no one came to the door, Ms. Guy asked a neighbour whether he'd seen Ms. Wilson and then called police.

The House in recess, Tories fan out with cheques in hand

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Eighteen Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, are out Tuesday showering money on communities across the country as they announce funding for programs that will keep kids away from a life of crime, help the homeless and even supportthe arts.

Can an election far off? Or is it just standard break-week fare?

InfographicRead the Feb. 21, 2011, Nanos poll

The Tories are making the most of the Commons recess. They’re everywhere from Iqaluit and Whitehorse to Calgary, Saskatoon and Manitou, Man., not to mention Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.

In Newfoundland Tuesday morning, Public Safety Minster Vic Toews announced $1.9-million for two crime prevention projects, including nearly $700,000 for the St. John’s YMCA aimed at getting “suspended or temporarily expelled students” back to school.

At the same time, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley was at YMCA Toronto for a news conference announcing funding for graduates for their first jobs.

Heritage Minister James Moore is in Industry Minister Tony Clement’s Ontario riding to put to rest any thoughts the Harper government is anti-culture. He is unveiling support for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, among other events.

And seniors minster Julian Fantino is doubling up in Woodbridge, Ont., with Labour Minister Lisa Raitt on apprenticeship issues and in Thunder Bay in the afternoon for an announcement assisted-living and long-term care.

Mr. Harper is with Defence Minister Peter MacKay in British Columbia – a province he hopes will help him secure a majority – at CFB Esquimalt for an announcement on military infrastructure. The base is located in the riding held by sports minister Gary Lunn, who will square off against Green Party Leader Elizabeth May whenever the writ drops.

In a memo to supporters Tuesday morning, PMO strategists noted that cabinet ministers are appearing at local businesses to emphasize investment and job creation through the government’s “low tax plan and free trade agenda.”

“The economy remains our Government’s top priority,” the Harper team says, adding for good measure that it is “well known the Ignatieff led-Coalition supports higher taxes and irresponsible spending.”

As for Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal Leader can be found in Dieppe, N.B., for a roundtable discussion as he continues his “working families” tour.

Social media put new spin on NFL contract talks

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:50:00 +0000

A few hours after NFL owners filed a complaint against the players union last week alleging that it was not bargaining in good faith, Houston Texans right tackle Eric Winston took to his keyboard to react.

“The NFL has reached that point where the kitchen sink is getting opened and every ridic claim will be tossed out,” Winston wrote on Twitter. “Enjoy the comedy people.”

And then: “Walking out of a bargaining session. These guys are a real hoot to deal with. If anyone screams, ‘I want my cake and eat it too’ it’s them.”

Winston is just one of the dozens of players and agents who have taken to Twitter during the NFL’s labour strife, opining on everything from the court skirmish over how the NFL’s television contracts were structured to the 18-game regular season to players having to pay for their own health insurance if the league imposes a lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement expires March 4.

The NFL’s labour negotiations are the first of a major sports league being played out in the social media age, giving hundreds of players, dozens of agents, millions of fans and even a handful of owners the equivalent of a gigantic microphone to offer instant -- sometimes frustrated -- analysis of the once-cloaked minutiae of contentious negotiation. The real-time reactions on Twitter may sometimes give the impression that events surrounding the labor talks are moving quickly -- in fact, they have been barely moving at all -- but they are also opening a filter-free pipeline with fans that players have long said they wanted.

“People are going to say what they want to say,” said Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley. “It’s like live news. Players can interview themselves.”

The results are not always pretty. The risks of unfettered communication were most evident even before the season ended when Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, in an interview as he cleaned out his locker, criticized with expletives negotiators from both the league and the union for not getting a deal done. That drew rebukes from fellow players, including one Twitter message from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has long been active in the union, questioning whether Cromartie knew what CBA meant. Hasselbeck quickly deleted the post, but a tiny fissure that might otherwise have played out only in the privacy of a locker room or a telephone call had been exposed before thousands of onlookers.

Members of the union played down the significance of Hasselbeck’s Twitter message -- “If you know Matt personally, you know he’s being sarcastic, but you can read words on Twitter, you can’t read intent,” said Kevin Mawae, the president of the union -- but Cromartie and Hasselbeck are surely not alone in their viewpoints. That raises the question: Might Twitter create a problem maintaining cohesion among a diffuse and dispersed group of players in the face of a lockout? After all, the few owners who are on Twitter are less likely to reveal internal disagreements than such a large, far-flung group of players who are open to influence from families and friends back home during the off season.

In a publication called NFLPA Guide to the Lockout, the players union warned that its battle could not be won at the negotiating table or in the court of public opinion if there was even a hint of division in the ranks. It offered a short list of talking points for players and came with this sobering reminder:

“In this modern world of media and social networking, know that the nature of comments you make on Facebook, Twitter and text are taken seriously by the public. One negative comment by a player can be detrimental to the negotiation process and confuse the public and media on the position of our players.”

Keeping a legacy alive is a labour of love for Reid Anderson

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:31:00 +0000

“This company never stops partying,” says Reid Anderson. “We’re festival people. It’s always galas and more galas.”

As artistic director of Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, the 61-year-old Canadian and his dance troupe certainly have good reason to celebrate: This year marks the 50th anniversary of a company acclaimed for both its repertoire (which runs the gamut from experimental dance to Russian classical ballet) and its legendary dancers (who have gone on to posts around the world).

More related to this storyThe Canadian dancers at Stuttgart

But while Anderson has been voted “director of the year” by Dance Europe magazine – in the last 14 years, he’s commissioned 76 original works from 29 choreographers, including heavy hitters such as Wayne McGregor, Christian Spuck and Marco Goecke – he insists that he’s simply taking care of a legacy.

That legacy started back in 1961, when choreographer John Cranko became artistic director of what was then the State Opera Ballet Company of Baden-Wurttemberg.

Although tucked away in an industrial city near the Black Forest of southern Germany (Stuttgart is home to Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Bosch), Cranko believed he could transform his dancers into a world-class company – and in the short 12-year tenure before he died at the too-young age of 45, he did just that.

He also transformed Anderson’s life, who keeps a handkerchief at the ready to dry his eyes at the mention of his beloved mentor’s name.

Born in New Westminster, B.C., Anderson was set to leave for advanced training at London’s Royal Ballet School in 1967 when he caught the National Ballet’s production of Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet on CBC-TV. It was the first time he’d heard of John Cranko and he was transfixed by the choreography.

Fast-forward two years and Anderson is an unhappy member of the Royal Opera Ballet in London, where he’s carrying spears in Aida. But at his school Christmas party, his friends dare him to ask the formidable ballet teacher Barbara Fewster to dance.

“While we were on the dance floor, she asked me what I wanted as a career, and I told her I wanted to be in a real ballet company,” he recalls. “She casually mentioned that her friend John Cranko was looking for boys. My parents had to wire me the airfare so I could go to Stuttgart to audition.”

It turned out that Cranko’s company was about to perform two weeks at New York’s 4,000-seat Metropolitan Opera House, and he needed more dancers. The great impresario Sol Hurok had heard about “the ballet miracle” that was happening in Stuttgart, and arranged the tour – and Anderson was included in the company.

“We performed Onegin,” Anderson says. “At the beginning of the evening, we were nobodies from nowhere, but by the end of opening night, the audience was screaming and we were famous. In New York, we were billed as the Stuttgart Ballet and the name stuck.”

Anderson went on to 17 years as a Stuttgart dancer, teacher and coach, before branching out as an artistic director, first with Ballet British Columbia in 1987, and then, in 1989, with the National. He took over Stuttgart in 1996.

At the time of his departure from the National, there were rumours that Anderson had always considered his Canadian sojourn as a way station to Stuttgart. But he categorically denies this.

“I was never planning to come back,” he says of Stuttgart. “I was happy in Toronto, even though I had to fundraise all the time, and never had money for new works. The tipping point came when the new Conservative government in Ontario cut the National’s budget by 25 per cent. Overnight we lost $500,000. I left Canada to protest these funding cuts.

“I had been approached by Stuttgart earlier about becoming artistic director, but told them I wasn’t interested. This time, I phoned them, and within a day, the job was mine.”

In Stuttgart, Anderson is part of a quartet of intendants which includes the heads of the ballet, opera and theatre companies, as well as a general director. The four make all the decisions concerning the state theatre complex – programming for the 1,400-seat Opera House, 800-seat Playhouse, and 200-seat Chamber Theatre and their management – and share a budget (and even a private car and driver). Their funding comes from two main sources: half from the state of Baden-Wurttemberg and half from the city of Stuttgart.

And while there is a creeping belt-tightening in Germany because of government cuts during the current global downturn, Anderson still feels he has a sweet deal: His company of 70 dancers is funded 75 per cent by the government, compared to only 25 per cent government funding at the National Ballet.

This means “things can unfold as I want,” says Anderson. “I’m my own boss. The arts are revered here. We are appreciated because we give the city a high profile.”

If the government supports his ballet company, though, one of things Anderson loves about working in Germany is the lack of cultural nationalism. For example, Stuttgart Ballet has only four German dancers. The rest come from 27 countries – including six Canadians.

“I’ll take anyone who’s a good dancer,” says Anderson. “I don’t look at anyone’s passport. Germans support talent because they want quality.”

And Stuttgart does attract fine dancers, with half coming from the John Cranko School, the company’s acclaimed professional training wing. The names of former Stuttgart dancers who have gone on to become choreography stars include Jiri Kylian (Netherlands Dance Theatre), John Neumeier (Hamburg Ballet) and William Forsythe (Frankfurt Ballet and Ballet Forsythe).

“I know it sounds corny, but I adore this company. It’s a family, a spiritual home,” says Anderson. “These hallways and studios hold something special. It’s a labour of love for me and not a job. I still think of Stuttgart as John’s company. I see myself as a caretaker, taking care of the Cranko legacy.”

The Canadian dancers at Stuttgart

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:15:00 +0000

The world-renowned Stuttgart Ballet celebrates its 50th anniversary this year – including a strong Canadian contingent. In addition to Canadian artistic director Reid Anderson, the company includes six Canadian dancers: five very tall boys and one petite girl. Along with the rest of the troupe, these dancers work hard. But the benefits include extensive touring (their motto is, “Join Stuttgart and see the world”) and being recognized on the street by dance fans in Stuttgart.

More related to this storyKeeping a legacy alive is a labour of love for Reid Anderson

Jason Reilly
The dancer: Born in Toronto, this 31-year-old has been a first soloist with the company since 1997.

Why Stuttgart: “I wanted to work with Reid because I liked what he put on the stage when he was at the National [Ballet of Canada].”

Why Stuttgart is so good: “Every great choreographer comes to create work here. We’re also here to work hard. If Reid doesn’t see that, you’re gone.”

Evan McKie
The dancer: The 27-year-old Torontonian joined Stuttgart in 2001. He’s now first soloist.

Why Stuttgart: “I took a summer course with Stuttgart teacher Piotr Pestov, and he invited me to join the John Cranko School. By going to performances every night, I got to see the wonderful repertoire.”

Why Stuttgart is so good: “Reid appreciates personalities. He shapes and moulds the dancers to find their individuality. This place has a great buzz. It’s creative soil for choreography which makes it a dancer’s dream.”

Myriam Simon
The dancer: Originally from Montreal, the 32-year-old joined Stuttgart in 2005. She’s now a soloist.

Why Stuttgart: “The company has wonderful dancers and a great director in Reid, so I wanted to come here. I had to audition three times to get in.”

Why Stuttgart is so good: “Because we work so hard, we are always pushing ourselves to a higher level. Also important is that the dancers are respected as human beings.”

Brent Parolin
The dancer: Born in Prince George, B.C., Parolin joined the company in 2006. The 23-year-old is a demi-soloist.

Why Stuttgart: “I never saw a company with such a diverse and intriguing repertoire. It’s an education in itself, seeing what the company dances.”

Why Stuttgart is so good: “The healthy competition. We’re all hungry and we push each other. This promotes great performances on stage.”

Matteo Crockard-Villa
The dancer: The 24-year-old from Toronto joined Stuttgart in 2007. He’s with the corps de ballet .

Why Stuttgart: “I saw the Stuttgart dancers at an Erik Bruhn competition and they blew me away. I got a good feeling from the company when I was on a school exchange.”

Why Stuttgart is so good: “The Cranko repertoire. Also, the people are friendly. Reid makes it very clear – no backstabbing or bitchiness.”

Jesse Fraser
The dancer: This 20-year-old from Saskatoon is a new recruit: He joined last year as an apprentice.

Why Stuttgart: “My teacher at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School thought my look would suit Stuttgart, so I sent in a résume. I loved what I saw of the company on YouTube videos.”

Why Stuttgart is so good: “The strong dancers and strong motivation. No one is lazy.”

The Oscars: An extraterrestrial perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 21:34:00 +0000

“A team of planet-hunters has announced the discovery of Gliese 581g, an Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby star.” Sept. 29, 2010, The Telegraph

Allow me to introduce myself. I reside on Gliese 581g, a planet that circles our red dwarf star in what you Earthlings delightfully call the Goldilocks Zone – not so close as to get fried, not so far as to get frozen. And, yes, we Glieseans are watching you. We especially enjoy watching your gaudy rituals. There’s much to be learned about a species by observing their rituals, the gaudier the better. Naturally, the one known to you as the Oscars is our particular favourite. Your number crunchers take pride in boasting how many millions of eyeballs routinely tune in to this wondrous spectacle. If only they really knew.

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Since our superior technology permits us to vault time and see into the future, I already know the exact outcome on Oscar night a week from Sunday (by your calendar). Truly, though, such technology is wasted on you people, and not least on this ritual. Why? Because it’s always exactly the same. You are a predictable bunch, or, as one of your brighter members once put it, “What’s past is prologue.” But give yourselves credit: You are at best richly predictable. That’s why your Oscar ritual reveals so much about you and is so edifying to us.

For example, Glieseans have noted an uber-category among your species, a separate breed clearly blessed by the gods with an abundance of physical, if not intellectual, gifts – their features perfectly symmetrical, their muscles definitively chiselled, their curves sinuously pleasing. These beautiful ones are indeed lovely to behold, and well-deserving of the special label you’ve conferred upon them – the genus Actor.

We have further observed how, at the Oscar rite, the female Actor is always attired in a colourful costume impeccably designed to call attention both to itself and to the epidermal layer it so tantalizingly exposes. Kudos – top Gliesean scientists all concede these costumes are a marvel of engineering. As yet, though, we are mystified why the male Actor tends to garb himself in dreary black and white, with far less epidermal exposure. Here on 581g, female Glieseans are upset by this discrepant practice.

Of course, only the blind could fail to see that your gods have not been democratic in their allotment of blessings. In fact, many Oscar specimens appear to make up a decidedly lesser breed characterized by rotund girths, balding pates, bulbous noses and other uncomely traits. They are, as variously named by you, the genus Writer or Director or Producer or Sound Engineer. This genus is patently inferior to the Actor in every regard but one: When called upon to speak, they are generally more capable of spontaneously expressing themselves in your native tongue, a strange language that seems to consist almost exclusively of proper names attached to the prefix, “Thanks to …”

Sharing the homely looks of these lesser beings are the multitudes gathered behind barriers to shout excitedly at the Actors who, taking these shrieks as their regal due, pass by on a garish carpet. Then others clutching crude microphones (by our standards) stop this parade of beauty long enough to ask the Actors, frequently but not always the female, the same fascinating question: “Who is dressing you?” I confess this repeated query has us completely puzzled. Our scholars have speculated that perhaps great beauty is infantilizing and, consequently, Actors lack the wherewithal to perform basic tasks, like dressing themselves. This theory would further explain their other inadequacies.

Still, we are not entirely naive about your Oscar habits. I know, for instance, that the unattractive Writer is paid to put words in the mouth of the pretty Actor, who is paid infinitely more to say those words while pretending to be someone else. I also know that this pretence is called a performance, that the recorded result is a film, and that, every time the Earth completes one rotation of your star, a wise man named Oscar selects the best of those films “for your consideration.”

When granny gives birth to her grandson, theres something wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 21:19:00 +0000

A few days ago, I was asked what I thought about Kristine Casey, a 61-year-old woman giving birth to her grandson. Ms. Casey had acted as a surrogate mother for the child of her daughter and son-in-law.

My gut reaction was that this was ethically wrong. But was that reaction correct and could it be justified?

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We must first ask is surrogate motherhood, in general, ethically acceptable? I don’t believe it is for a wide variety of reasons, including that it breaches children’s human rights regarding their coming-into-being; it exploits poor women; and its international commercialization has opened up dehumanizing scenarios, such as FedEx-ing frozen embryos to “warehouses” of surrogates in developing countries .

But, as is so often true in trying to decide on the ethics of human reproduction, especially regarding reproductive technologies, there is no consensus. And I know from experience that, faced with a sobbing woman unable to carry her and her husband’s child, who is distraught that payment of surrogate mothers has been prohibited and says, “I can’t believe you would disagree with our doing anything we can to have our child,” it’s very difficult to say, “No, I don’t agree with you hiring a surrogate mother.”

For the sake of exploring the issues, let’s assume some surrogacy will continue to be allowed. What restrictions are ethically required?

Our choice of words can affect our assessment of the ethics, probably because they influence our emotions and intuitions, which are validly taken into account in making ethical decisions. Grandmother Casey is compellingly described as “altruistic” and “giving the ultimate gift” to her daughter and her son-in-law.

But let’s change the situation slightly and see if we make the same assessment of ethical acceptability.

A young infertile man and his wife want to have a baby that is as closely genetically related to them and their family as possible, including because in their culture blood relationship is considered very important.

The man’s father wants to donate sperm to artificially inseminate his daughter-in-law. The child will be the half-brother of his social father, and the biological child of his social grandfather. Is this ethically acceptable?

If not, but the surrogate grandmother is seen as ethically acceptable, is it because she was not the biological mother? Would it be acceptable to inseminate a still fertile woman with the sperm of her infertile daughter’s husband? And what about a woman donating ova to her daughter, which results in a child of the daughter’s husband and his mother-in-law?

Does it make a difference if we change the generational relationships and a sperm donor was the infertile husband’s brother, not his father? Likewise, what about a sister donating ova to her sister, or, as is not uncommon, a sister carrying a baby for her sister? Is the latter less ethically worrisome than a grandmother doing so and, if so, why?

I believe that we must start from a basic presumption that the child’s rights to be born into a natural family structure in which the family relationships have not been intentionally confused, must be given priority. If surrogacy, in general, or any particular instance of surrogacy is not in a child’s “best interests” in such regards, it is unethical. The same “child’s best interests principle” should apply to all uses of reproductive technologies.

Sometimes a distinction between repairing nature when it fails and doing something that would never happen in nature can be helpful in looking at ethics. A grandmother giving birth to her biological grandchild is something that could never happen in nature, and so I’d say no to such surrogacy arrangements.

A woman giving birth to her own child conceived with her son-in-law, even though it’s not incest (there is no sexual intercourse and no blood relationship between them, as the crime of incest requires), is, I believe, ethically reprehensible. Likewise, inseminating a woman with her father-in-law’s sperm.

If for no other reason, the confusion of family structures and roles that these possibilities would cause make them unethical. Some might see them as the free choice of the adults involved and, therefore, ethically acceptable. But the child, the most vulnerable person, which is ethically relevant, and the one most likely to be harmfully affected, has made no such choice and given no consent.

One response to this argument is that the child has no right to complain, as he or she wouldn’t exist except for the steps undertaken. Joanna Rose, a donor-conceived adult who objects to donor conception, responded, “If I were the product of rape, I would still be glad to be alive, but that doesn’t mean I or anyone else should approve of rape or that it’s ethical.”

The bottom line, regarding surrogate motherhood, and all uses of reproductive technologies, should be that when adults’ claims to use these technologies clash with the rights or “best interests” of the resulting children, the latter must prevail. So far, our decisions have been mainly based on the opposite priority. If we examine past decisions using this new basis, in some cases we might change our minds about what is and is not ethical.

Margaret Somerville is the founding director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law at McGill University.

Party photos of the week

noreply@blogger.com (Muqeet Soomro) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:52:00 +0000

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In PicturesParty photos of the weekLaura SerraFrom Saturday's Globe and MailYou know you’re in for a treat when you sit down to a four-course dinner by chef Jamie Kennedy and there are 3D glasses on your plate. The Canadian Film Centre raised the bar for entertainment at their 17th annual gala and auction where over 600 guests were treated to a 3D presentation. "Filmology - A Celebration of All Things Film" kicked off with a powerhouse performance by Divine Brown and welcomed industry luminaries like Kim Cattrall and Gordon Pinsent. Vacations were on the brain as trips to Las Vegas and Italy won the highest bids in the live auction at $19,000 a piece, bumping up the evening's total to $600,000 raised for the CFC’s training programs. 1 of 15(Della Rollins for The Globe and Mail)Hide caption

Actress Ashley Legatt