MPs to vote on smacking ban in UK

The UK parliament is today to consider a measure to ban hitting children as punishment. The bill would give children the same protection against physical assault as adults, eliminating the defense for parents of "reasonable punishment," which allows physical assault against...

Ohio Voters Head to the Polls

A vote in Ohio is going ahead today amid a controversy over the voting procedures in the state. "With the credit crisis roiling Washington, Wall Street and the presidential campaign, voters in the key battleground state of Ohio cast their first ballots amid a controversy over...

Issues surrounding the Impact of Migrant Workers on the Policing of Lincolnshire

"Lincolnshire Police responded today to comments made in the media by Ms Julie Spence, Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire, a neighbouring force. Like, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire has been affected in recent years by the impact of migrant workers on the county’s population....

Life imitates art and creeps me out

In 1997, my artist friend Eduardo Kac, had a "pet locator" chip implanted in his leg. He produced a performance art piece which showed him being tracked by the chip and also showed the surgery that it took to implant the chip. Eduardo wanted people to stop and think about the...

Amp'd Mobile Faces $100,000 Fine over Lax Data Safety

This actually took place the other week and slipped below my radar, but is still to be resolved. "The Federal Communications Commission is proposing a $100,000 fine against Amp'd Mobile Inc., the wireless phone company aimed at the youth market, for failing to protect...

Senate Passes Iraq Withdrawal Timeline Bill

... but the Senate still gave the White House over a hundred billion dollars to spend in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the accompanying American, British and Iraqi lives. "Senate Democrats ignored a veto threat and pushed through a bill Thursday requiring President Bush to...

Passport applicants find they're not Canadian

"Hundreds of people are suddenly discovering that they are not Canadians as new laws requiring travellers to have a passport to fly to the U.S. go into effect Tuesday, CBC's investigative unit has learned."