Magic Statistics

Canada is willing to stand up for freedom of speech at the United Nations.  Why, then, is the government silent when free speech is attacked by “human rights” commissions here at home?

The top UN rights body passed a resolution proposed by Islamic countries Thursday saying it is deeply concerned about the defamation of religions and urging governments to prohibit it.

The European Union, which with Canada opposed the reolution [sic], said the text was one-sided because it primarily focused on Islam.

The UN Human Rights Council, which is dominated by Arab and other Muslim countries, adopted the resolution on a 21-10 vote over the opposition of Europe and Canada.

EU countries, including France, Germany and Britain, voted against. Previously EU diplomats had said they wanted to stop the growing worldwide trend of using religious anti-defamation laws to limit free speech.

In another sterling move, the Human Rights Council voted to appoint as an “expert” advisor a Swiss sociology professor who has praised authoritarian heads of state and a Holocaust denier.

To the sound of cheers, and by an overhwelming majority of 40 out of 47 votes, the UN Human Rights Council today elected Jean Ziegler, the co-founder of the "Muammar Khaddafi Human Rights Prize," as an expert advisor representing the Western world. And for its new Palestine expert, the council chose Richard Falk, who, like Ziegler, accuses the U.S. of being responsible for many of the world's ills and describes Israel in Nazi terminology.

Mr Ziegler’s appointment was supported whole-heartedly by the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

Previous related posts:

• Islamic leaders favour “binding legal instrument” to combat “Islamophobia”
• Canada rejects two UN initiatives in one day
• Canada disputes Human Rights Council “consensus”

Anger Has An Upside, Study Suggests — Science Daily, 27 March

The study arrives just in time for Brendan O’Neill of spiked, who writes:

This war against anger makes me see red

I've posted a few photos from my Bad Dog calendar recently.  This is my first bad cat, from a colleague's calendar.

Here’s the CBC News headline:

Canadians jump on Earth Hour bandwagon

A few paragraphs down, however, the truth emerges:

About 55,000 Canadians have registered, just behind the United States and ahead of Australia.

Let’s see: 55,000 from a total population of over 33.1 million—about 0.17 of a percentage point.  That is one infinitesimal “bandwagon”.

The British Home Office has unexpectedly reversed itself and agreed to toughen its message regarding cannabis.  The move follows an accumulation of scientific evidence suggesting a causal link between cannabis use and such mental problems as depression, schizophrenia, and suicide.

Youngsters are to be given a stronger warning on the dangers of cannabis following a U-turn in the Home Office.

It is to scrap guidance that cannabis should be avoided by those who already suffer mental health problems.

Instead, young people will be warned that "anyone who uses cannabis could be doing so at a risk to their mental health".

According to recent studies, regular cannabis users are up to six times more likely to develop schizophrenia.  In 2006, almost 23,000 people in Britain received treatment for addiction to cannabis; 9,600 were under 18.

h/t: Christian Institute and Anglican Mainstream

Previous related posts:

• Cannabis smoke more toxic than tobacco
• Dramatic increase in mental illness among cannabis users
• Marijuana triggers schizophrenic and psychotic episodes