The Israeli-Palestinian war is already full of tragedy and death

This could make it something of epic proportions.

UN Chief Appeals for Israel to Avert a Humanitarian Catastrophe

Israel evacuation order: Tens of thousands flee northern Gaza - BBC News

I guess when you conquer parasites and germs, these get you in the end

UN: Deaths up from cancer, diabetes, heart disease

Nearly two-thirds of deaths in the world are caused by noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart and lung disease which are rapidly increasing at a cost to the global economy of trillions of dollars, according to U.N. estimates and preliminary results of a new study.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report circulated Monday that while the international community has focused on communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, the four main noncommunicable diseases "have emerged relatively unnoticed in the developing world and are now becoming a global epidemic."

According to the report, 36 million people died from noncommunicable diseases in 2008, representing 63 percent of the 57 million global deaths that year. Nearly 80 percent of deaths from these diseases were in the developing world, and 9 million deaths were of men and women under the age of 60, it said.

In 2030, the report said, these diseases are projected to claim the lives of 52 million people.

Ban said the rapidly increasing magnitude of noncommunicable diseases is fueled by rising risk factors including tobacco use, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, obesity and harmful alcohol use — and is driven in part by an aging population, the negative impact of urbanization, and the globalization of trade and marketing.

Good to see

U.N. Gay Rights Protection Resolution Passes, Hailed As 'Historic Moment'

The United Nations endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people for the first time ever Friday, passing a resolution hailed as historic by the U.S. and other backers and decried by some African and Muslim countries.

The declaration was cautiously worded, expressing "grave concern" about abuses because of sexual orientation and commissioning a global report on discrimination against gays.

But activists called it an important shift on an issue that has divided the global body for decades, and they credited the Obama administration's push for gay rights at home and abroad.

"This represents a historic moment to highlight the human rights abuses and violations that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face around the world based solely on who they are and whom they love," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement.

I'm not sure how much weight it will really have, but it does set up a process to document abuses against gays as human rights violations.

Hmmm...

Nature to Get Legal Rights in Bolivia

After decades of exile to environmentalism’s legal fringes, the notion that natural systems could have legal rights is receiving serious attention.

Bolivia’s Law of Mother Earth is set to pass. On Wednesday the United Nations will discuss a proposed treaty based on the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth (.pdf), which was drafted by environmentalists last year. Both mandate legal recognition of ecosystems’ right to exist.

It’s highly unlikely that the United Nations would pass any such treaty in the foreseeable future, and the discussion has been criticized as a time-wasting political maneuver. But the intellectual argument for nature’s rights isn’t necessarily a patchouli-soaked Gaia fantasy translated into legalese. Some say it’s a practical extension of ecological insight.

Speaking of loonies...

someone let one get up and speak in front of the United Nations today...

9/11 words by Iran leader lead to U.S. walkout at U.N.: U.S.: Ahmadinejad 'delusional' for citing those who believe U.S. was behind attacks

The U.S. and several European delegations walked out of the U.N. speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday after he said most people believe the U.S. government was behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks in order to assure Israel's survival.

That's as crazy as believing the Holocaust didn't happen, either. Oh, yeah. He does, doesn't he?

I know a lot of people have a lot of beef with the United States, and in many cases it's rightly so, but I am so glad to be an American. (Even that bozo...uh...President George W. was better than that guy, in my opinion.) And that comes from someone who is pro-Jewish but not-particularly-pro-Israel who thought George W. Bush was the worst President in living memory. But you know what? At least in my country I could say George W. Bush is a bozo and that's okay. I love that whole free speech bit. Other countries should try it. Believe it or not, it sows less unrest than you would think.

A great resource for the world's cultural history

UN puts global treasures online

Here's something I'll include the text of because it's amusing:

From Timothy at Slashdot.com:

jd [NB: I didn't include the link because it was an e-mail address, and I didn't want it mined from this website, but you can find it here] writes:

'The BBC is reporting that the United Nations' World Digital Library has gone online with an initial offering of 1,200 ancient manuscripts, parchments and documents. To no great surprise, Europe comes in first with 380 items. South America comes in second with 320, with a very distant third place being given to the Middle East at a paltry 157 texts. This is only the initial round, so the leader board can be expected to change. There are, for example, a lot of Sumerian and Babylonian tablets, many of which are already online elsewhere. Astonishingly, the collection is covered by numerous copyright laws, according to the legal page. Use of material from a given country is subject to whatever restrictions that country places, in addition to any local and international copyright laws. With some of the contributions being over 8,000 years old, this has to be the longest copyright extension ever offered. There is nothing on whether the original artists get royalties, however.'

Sometimes I think we're so backwards for a 'first world' nation

US balks at decriminalising homosexuality: Sixty-six nations wage campaign to better deal with discrimination

Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.

Favourite quote, from Dutch foreign affairs minister, Maxime Verhagen:

'Human rights apply to all people in all places at all times. I will not accept any excuse.'

In all, more than fifty countries opposed the symbolic, non-binding measure, but 66 signed it--including all of Europe, Japan, and Australia. Opposition was mainly seen in Islamic areas, Asia, and Africa. According to the article, in over 70 countries that are members of the United Nations, homosexuality is a crime, and in some of them that crime can be punsishable by death.

You can't hide everything

An Eye in the Sky on Burma

In light of the protests led by thousands of monks in recent days, Burma's military junta is shutting the country off from the rest of the world--bringing down communication lines, websites, blocking access to reporters, all while moving into the streets and shooting any civilians who do not comply.

So scientists are scrutinising satellite images to show things such as fires from orbit. Using data from the past, they have been able to confirm many reports of forced relocations and similar tactics. They hope keeping an eye in the sky will help convince China and Russia from blocking the United Nations Security Council from taking action against the junta.

It's a technique that has worked well in Darfur, but Burma has dense vegetation which hampers the efforts. Still, I hope it will help.