JESUIT Pope Francis, Sistani Hold Milestone Interfaith Meeting in Najaf

ONLY A JESUIT COULD DO THIS

Saturday, 6 March, 2021 -



Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani met with Pope Francis in a historic meeting in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Saturday.

The meeting, on the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, marked a landmark moment in modern religious history, AFP reported.

The meeting lasted 50 minutes, with Sistani's office putting out a statement shortly afterwards thanking Francis, 84, for visiting the holy city of Najaf.

Sistani, 90, "affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights," it said.

His office also published an image of the two.

It took months of careful negotiations between Najaf and the Vatican to secure the one-on-one meeting.

"We feel proud of what this visit represents and we thank those who made it possible," said Mohamed Ali Bahr al-Ulum, a senior cleric in Najaf.

Sistani is followed by most of the world's 200 million Shiites -- a minority among Muslims but the majority in Iraq -- and is a national figure for Iraqis.

In 2019, he stood with Iraqi protesters demanding better public services and rejecting external interference in Iraq's domestic affairs.

"Ali Sistani is a religious leader with a high moral authority," said Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, the head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a specialist in Islamic studies.

"The Najaf school has great prestige and is more secular than the more religious Qom school," Ayuso said.

"Najaf places more weight on social affairs," he added.

\
Earlier, Pope Francis met with President Barham Salih – who had extended the official invitation to the pontiff in 2019.

During his meeting with the Iraqi president, the Pope addressed a number of sensitive issues in Iraq.

“May the weapons be silenced (...). May there be an end to acts of violence and extremism,” he stressed, hoping for dialogue to prevail to give the country peace and development.

Following his visit to the grand ayatollah, the Pope will head to the desert site of the ancient city of Ur -- believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, common patriarch of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths -- where he will host an interfaith service, with many of Iraq's other religious minorities in attendance.

Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric hold historic, symbolic meeting 

IN ANCIENT PAGAN 

SUMERIAN CAPITOL CITY OF UR

BY NICOLE WINFIELD AND QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA ASSOCIATED PRESS
MARCH 06, 2021 

Pope Francis leaves the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis has honored victims of one of Iraq's most brutal massacres of Christians by Islamic militants. He is making a visit to Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation Cathedral, where he has prayed and spoke with priests, seminarians and religious sisters. In 2010, al-Qaida-linked militants gunned down worshippers at the church in an attack that left 58 people dead. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) 


PLAINS OF UR, IRAQ

Pope Francis and Iraq's top Shiite cleric delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence Saturday, urging Muslims in the war-weary Arab nation to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during an historic meeting in the holy city of Najaf.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians, and that Christians should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history.

Al-Sistani, 90, is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam and his rare but powerful political interventions have helped shape present-day Iraq. He is a deeply revered figure in Shiite-majority Iraq and his opinions on religious and other matters are sought by Shiites worldwide.

The historic meeting in al-Sistani’s humble home was months in the making, with every detail painstakingly discussed and negotiated between the ayatollah’s office and the Vatican.

Early Saturday, the 84-year-old pontiff, travelling in a bullet-proof Mercedes-Benz, pulled up along Najaf’s narrow and column-lined Rasool Street, which culminates at the golden-domed Imam Ali Shrine, one of the most revered sites in Shiite Islam. He then walked the few meters (yards) to al-Sistani’s modest home, which the cleric has rented for decades.

A group of Iraqis wearing traditional clothes welcomed him outside. As a masked Francis entered the doorway, a few white doves were released in a sign of peace. He emerged just under an hour later, still limping from an apparent flare-up of sciatica nerve pain that makes walking difficult.

The “very positive” meeting lasted a total of 40 minutes, said a religious official in Najaf, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.

The official said al-Sistani, who normally remains seated for visitors, stood to greet Francis at the door of his room — a rare honor. Al-Sistani and Francis sat close to one another, without masks. Al-Sistani, who rarely appears in public — even on television — wore black robes and a black turban, in simple contrast to Francis’ all-white cassock.

The official said there was some concern about the fact that the pope had met with so many people the day before. Francis has received the coronavirus vaccine but al-Sistani has not.

The pope removed his shoes before entering al-Sistani's room. Al-Sistani spoke for most of meeting. Francis was served tea and a plastic bottle of water, but only drank the latter. Francis paused before leaving al-Sistani’s room to have a last look, the official said.

The pope arrived later in the ancient city of Ur for an interfaith meeting aimed at urging Iraq’s Muslims, Christians and other believers to put aside historic animosities and work together for peace and unity. Ur is the traditional birthplace of Abraham, the biblical patriarch revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews.

“From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters," Francis said. “Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion.”

Religious leaders stood to greet him. While Francis wore a mask, few of the leaders on the tented stage did. The meeting was held in the shadow of Ur’s magnificent ziggurat, the 6,000-year-old archaeological complex near the modern city of Nasiriyah.

The Vatican said Iraqi Jews were invited to the event but did not attend, without providing further details. Iraq's ancient Jewish community was decimated in the 20th century by violence and mass emigration fueled by the Arab-Israeli conflict, and only a handful remain.

The Vatican said the historic visit to al-Sistani was a chance for Francis to emphasize the need for collaboration and friendship between different religious communities.

In a statement issued by his office after the meeting, al-Sistani affirmed that Christians should “live like all Iraqis, in security and peace and with full constitutional rights." He pointed out the "role that the religious authority plays in protecting them, and others who have also suffered injustice and harm in the events of past years.”

Al-Sistani wished Francis and the followers of the Catholic Church happiness, and thanked him for taking the trouble to visit him in Najaf, the statement said.

For Iraq’s dwindling Christian minority, a show of solidarity from al-Sistani could help secure their place in Iraq after years of displacement — and, they hope, ease intimidation from Shiite militiamen against their community.

Iraqis cheered the meeting of two respected faith leaders.

”We welcome the pope’s visit to Iraq and especially to the holy city of Najaf and his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani,” said Najaf resident Haidar Al-Ilyawi. “It is an historic visit and hope it will be good for Iraq and the Iraqi people.”

Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday and met with senior government officials on the first-ever papal visit to the country. It is also his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and his meeting Saturday marked the first time a pope had met a grand ayatollah.

On the few occasions where he has made his opinion known, the notoriously reclusive al-Sistani has shifted the course of Iraq's modern history.

In the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion he repeatedly preached calm and restraint as the Shiite majority came under attack by al-Qaida and other Sunni extremists. The country was nevertheless plunged into years of sectarian violence.

His 2014 fatwa, or religious edict, calling on able-bodied men to join the security forces in fighting the Islamic State group swelled the ranks of Shiite militias, many closely tied to Iran. In 2019, as anti-government demonstrations gripped the country, his sermon lead to the resignation of then-prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

Iraqis have welcomed the visit and the international attention it has given the country as it struggles to recover from decades of war and unrest. Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group in 2017 but still sees sporadic attacks.

It has also seen recent rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias against U.S. military and diplomatic facilities, followed by U.S. airstrikes on militia targets in Iraq and neighboring Syria. The violence is linked to the standoff between the U.S. and Iran following the Trump administration's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord and its imposition of crippling sanctions on Iran. President Joe Biden has said he wants to revive the deal.

Francis’ visit to Najaf and nearby Ur traverses provinces that have seen recent instability. In Nasiriyah, where the Plains of Ur is located, protest violence left at least five dead last month. Most were killed when Iraqi security forces used live ammunition to disperse crowds.

Protest violence was also seen in Najaf last year, but abated as the mass anti-government movement that engulfed Iraq gradually petered out

6 of 26
The Pope caravan arrives to meet Shiite Muslim leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his first-ever papal visit. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil) ANMAR KHALIL AP

Pope Francis, right, meets with Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. The closed-door meeting was expected to touch on issues plaguing Iraq's Christian minority. Al-Sistani is a deeply revered figure in Shiite-majority Iraq and and his opinions on religious matters are sought by Shiites worldwide. (AP Photo/Vatican Media) VATICAN MEDIA AP

An aerial photo shows the 6,000-year-old archaeological site of Ur amid preparations for Pope Francis' visit near Nasiriyah, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his first-ever papal visit. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jourani) NABIL AL-JOURANI AP

Pope Francis, center, listens during an interreligious meeting near the archaeological site of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Pope Francis and Iraq's top Shiite cleric delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence Saturday, urging Muslims in the war-weary Arab nation to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during an historic meeting in the holy city of Najaf. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jourani) NABIL AL-JOURANI AP

Spy warrant shortcomings stretch back almost a decade, newly released audit shows

A Federal Court of Canada ruling  said CSIS had failed to disclose its reliance on information that was likely collected illegally in support of warrants to probe extremism.

3/6/2021

OTTAWA — A newly released audit report shows that difficulties with the judicial warrant process at Canada's spy agency — an issue that made headlines last summer — stretch back at least nine years.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Internal reviewers found several of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's preparatory steps for the execution of warrant powers needed strengthening.

Among the shortcomings were insufficient training of personnel and a lack of quality-control measures.

In underscoring the importance of the process, the report notes warrants are authorizations issued by a federal judge that enable CSIS to legally undertake actions, including surveilling people electronically, that would otherwise be illegal.

"Failure to properly apply or interpret a warrant at the time of its execution exposes the Service to the risk of its employees committing unlawful actions, and in certain situations, criminal offences," the report says.

"The investigative powers outlined in warrants must be exercised rigorously, consistently and effectively."

Potential misuse of these powers could result in serious ethical, legal or reputational consequences that might compromise the intelligence service's integrity, the report adds.

The Canadian Press requested the 2012 audit under the Access to Information Act shortly after its completion, but CSIS withheld much of the content.

The news agency filed a complaint through the federal information commissioner's office in July 2013, beginning a process that led to disclosure of a substantial portion of the document more than seven years later.

CSIS operates with a high degree of secrecy and is therefore supposed to follow the proper protocols and legal framework, particularly concerning warrants, said Tim McSorley, national coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, which includes dozens of civil society organizations.

"Seeing a report like this, it just raises a concern ... to what degree they're really following that framework with the most rigour possible."

CSIS can apply to the Federal Court for a warrant when intrusive collection techniques are needed because other methods have failed or are unlikely to succeed.

Once a judge approves a warrant but before it is executed, a step known as the invocation process takes place. It involves a request from CSIS personnel to use one or more of the authorized powers and a review of the facts underpinning the warrant to ensure appropriate measures are employed against the correct people.

However, the reviewers found CSIS policy did not "clearly define or document the objectives or requirements of the invocation process."

"When roles and responsibilities are not documented, they may not be fully understood by those involved. As a result, elements of the process may not be performed, or be performed by people who do not have sufficient knowledge or expertise to do so."

Overall, the report found the invocation process "needs to be strengthened" through a clear definition of objectives, requirements and roles, and better monitoring, training and development of quality-control procedures.

In response, CSIS management spelled out a series of planned improvements for the auditors.

But concerns have persisted about the spy service's warrant procedures.

A Federal Court of Canada ruling released in July said CSIS had failed to disclose its reliance on information that was likely collected illegally in support of warrants to probe extremism.

Justice Patrick Gleeson found CSIS violated its duty of candour to the court, part of a long-standing and troubling pattern.

"The circumstances raise fundamental questions relating to respect for the rule of law, the oversight of security intelligence activities and the actions of individual decision-makers," he wrote.

Gleeson called for an in-depth look at interactions between CSIS and the federal Justice Department to fully identify systemic, governance and cultural shortcomings and failures.

The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, the key watchdog over CSIS, is examining the issues.

Another review, completed early last year by former deputy minister of justice Morris Rosenberg, called for improvements, including better training and clarification of roles, but stressed they would not succeed unless the "cultural issues around warrants" were addressed.

CSIS spokesman John Townsend said the intelligence service continuously works to improve training and updates its policies and procedures accordingly, informed by audits, reviews and best practices.

The Rosenberg review prompted CSIS to launch an effort last year to further the service's ability to meet its duty of candour to the court, resulting in a plan that was finalized in January, Townsend said.

"The plan includes specific action items directed at ensuring the warrant process is more responsive to operational needs, documenting the full intelligence picture to facilitate duty of candour and ensuring CSIS meets expectations set by the Federal Court," he said.

"In addition to training on CSIS's duty of candour already provided under the auspices of the project, additional training on a variety of operational issues including warrant acquisition will be developed by the project team and offered to employees."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2021.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

Local transit union submits petition with about 1,600 member signatures in opposition to regional service in Edmonton area

Almost 1,600 transit workers in Edmonton and St. Albert have signed a petition opposing the move to regional transit service.

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 has submitted a petition in opposition to the move to regional transit service.

Dustin Cook 3/5/2021 EDMONTON JOURNAL / POSTMEDIA

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw submitted the petition via email to all councillors and mayors of the eight member municipalities Friday morning. Bradshaw said the union is calling for certainty that the regional transit commission , having just received legal approval from the province in January, isn’t privatized.

About 70 per cent of affected union employees signed the petition that was also on display on a giant banner outside Edmonton city hall.

“We’re not sure it’s an idea that can’t work. But, it won’t work as a privatized deal and we want to have a seat at the table. We want to be involved in decisions that are being made about the service that we operate and we want to protect our jobs, we want to protect our union and we want to protect our jurisdiction,” Bradshaw said. “Ultimately, it’s about continuing a high level of service.”

Ward 10 Coun. Michael Walters, who also serves as vice-chairman of the commission board, said labour relations discussions still need to happen but the plan has always been to continue the partnership with the union. The commission sent a letter to the union outlining a willingness to engage with them but hasn’t heard back, Walters said.

“Mr. Bradshaw appears to be manufacturing this boogeyman that this is privatization when it’s never been that,” he said. “I’m confused about why he would continue to try to frighten his members and City of Edmonton employees about something that’s not real.”

The goal in moving forward with regional transit is to provide more efficient transit service across the Edmonton region and bring down the costs, Walters said, noting the commission wants to make the new system work for all parties.

Once the system is in full swing, projected to be in 2026, it is estimated regional service will save $3.9 million annually and reduce redundancy by 615 service hours per week.

The commission board, made up of elected officials from member municipalities, is currently in the process of hiring a CEO which Bradshaw said is where some of his concerns lie.

People with years of experience in operating transit systems didn’t make the shortlist, Bradshaw said, causing him to fear it is moving in a more corporate direction.

“The main fear with privatization is it will set up a degradation of service, it will impact our communities because of poor service, it will impact our taxpayers because they’re going to end up paying amounts to unlimited liabilities for this system,” he said. “On the union’s level, of course, we’re very concerned for our members’ jobs and our members’ pay and benefits.”

Once a CEO is hired, the commission will work to roll out the first wave of regional service in mid to late 2022. Originally the regional transit discussion involved 13 municipalities in the Edmonton metropolitan area, but eight have signed on to continue with the commission. Regional transit will provide service to Edmonton, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Beaumont, the City of Leduc, Fort Saskatchewan and Devon.

duscook@postmedia.com

twitter.com/dustin_cook3

ARE WE JUST A NODE IN GOD'S MIND

The Universe Might Be One Big Neural Network, Study Finds

Caroline Delbert 

POPULAR MECHANICS

3/5/2021

© artpartner-images 

A physicist suggests the whole universe could be a single neural network. Here's what that means.

One scientist says the universe is a giant neural net.

The wild concept uses neural net theory to unify quantum and classical mechanics.

This is a great jumping-off point for larger philosophical discussions.

In a thought-provoking new paper, a physicist suggests the whole universe could be a single neural network—a competing“theory of everything” that could unite quantum and classical mechanics, he says.

If this is true—and that’s a really, really big if—it would mean pretty enormous things for the nature of the universe.
Advertisement

➡ You love weird f#@!-ing science. So do we. 

Let’s nerd out over this stuff together

© Science Photo Library - KTSDESIGN - Getty Images gettyimages-172594468

What’s a Neural Network?

A neural network is what’s called a data structure, which is a shape or format for organizing ideas inside computer hardware. If you’ve ever made a shopping list or written down the steps to complete a task, you’ve made a data structure. If you’ve“opened a ticket” in an IT support system at your job, that ticket probably joined a data structure called a queue. You may have even programmed these structures, too, writing code for stacks, trees, and more.

“Modeled loosely on the human brain, a neural net consists of thousands or even millions of simple processing nodes that are densely interconnected,” the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explains. And the neural net isn’t just the physical data structure—it’s an umbrella term for both the structure and the weighted, programmed approach to using the structure in artificial intelligence.

 
In the simplest terms, a neural net is like any other net. A fish could push one part of a net far out of shape. A knitted sweater shifts to fit your body. The weights in a neural net, like a struggling fish or a bicep, note who and what is deforming the net. The best data points peek through and are skimmed off. And the approach is thought to model the human mind, hence the name neural net.

© Westend61 - Getty Images gettyimages-1139000285

Is the Universe One Big Neural Network?

With this idea in mind, how can it be that the whole universe is like a neural net? Take it from Vitaly Vanchurin, a physics professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, who published his paper “The World as a Neural Network” on the arXiv pre-print server last year:
“We discuss a possibility that the entire universe on its most fundamental level is a neural network. We identify two different types of dynamical degrees of freedom:“trainable” variables and“hidden” variables. We consider the trainable variables to argue that near equilibrium their dynamics [are] well approximated by Madelung equations and further away from the equilibrium by Hamilton-Jacobi equations. This shows that the trainable variables can indeed exhibit classical and quantum behaviors.”

Basically, Vanchurin says we can use the idea of a neural net to model the universe, in a way that could bring together quantum and classical mechanics. This is a key mismatch in physics, creating a phantom barrier between phenomena explained by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, for example, versus the close-up spooky trompe l’oeil effects of quantum mechanics.

The same set of variables is affected by a quantum phenomenon at one end of their spectrum and a classical one at the far other end, per Vanchurin’s theory. That means the same values are affected by both at once, with some pivot point or even overlap somewhere in the middle between them.

“In this paper, I consider another possibility that a microscopic neural network is the fundamental structure and everything else, i.e. quantum mechanics, general relativity and macroscopic observers, emerges from it,” Vanchurin told Futurism.“So far, things look rather promising.”

The theory could bear out over further review, including any peer review before publication in a journal. But what’s arguably most interesting about Vanchurin’s concept is what it implies for ideas: A unifying theory could still be lying just out of sight, and the structure we imagine modeling the human brain could also model the molecular level of the entire universe.

“Would this theory mean we’re living in a simulation?” Futurism’s Victor Tangermann asked Vanchurin.“No, we live in a neural network,” he replied. “But we might never know the difference.”

World must do more to support democracy 

in Myanmar: Bob Rae

Chris Hall 

CBC

3/6/2021
\2

© Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae says the international community must do more to support the democratic movement in Myanmar.

Bob Rae says the international community must support the democratic movement in Myanmar as protesters there continue to risk their lives to protest against last month's military coup.

Canada's ambassador to the United Nations says it's the only way to honour the courage shown by those standing up for democracy.

"I do think that what we're seeing now is an unprecedented level of support for a widespread and deep democracy within Myanmar," Rae said in an interview airing Saturday on CBC's The House.

"We have not seen demonstrations of the kind we're seeing in Myanmar for four generations. And I think it's really important for us to stress that."

The death toll in Myanmar, also known as Burma, continues to rise as police and military officials crack down on the protests.

The UN says more than 50 people have died, and about 1,000 others — including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi — have been detained.
Persecution of Rohingya

Suu Kyi came under heavy criticism for her failure to stop the military from its campaign of ethnic cleansing against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority — a failure that led Canada to strip her of honorary Canadian citizenship in 2018.

Rae, who served as Canada's special envoy to Myanmar on the Rohingya crisis until 2018, was asked if that past makes it more difficult to organize international support for her.

"The short answer to that is, of course it does, but it doesn't stop us from doing it," he said. "The fact remains that she was democratically elected leader of a political party that won an election and that has to be recognized."

Canada has imposed sanctions on military officials already. But Myanmar is not a member of the United Nations Security Council and the fear is that China or Russia would veto any measures the UN might take.

The UN's special envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Bergener, called Friday for the Security Council to present a unified front in demanding an end to the coup and the release of those detained.

"It is critical that this council is resolute and coherent in putting the security forces on notice and standing with the people of Myanmar firmly, in support of the clear November election results," she said.
Calls for 'collective action'

"There is an urgency for collective action," she added. "How much more can we allow the Myanmar military to get away with?"

Rae believes there's a consensus that more can be done to stop the violence now.

"I think we do have to look at what else can we do to isolate the military, to freeze their assets wherever we can find them, and to work with every conceivable partner that we can find to create the conditions for the transition to democracy," he said.

© Lee Jin-man/The Associated Press A member of a South Korean civic group holds a sign as she attends at a rally against Myanmar's military coup in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

"It's going to be extremely difficult, but I think this issue is far from over. The outcome is not by any means settled."

But time is running short. The images emerging from the protests show unarmed people being shot by authorities and ambulance attendants being beaten when they try to assist the injured.

Tin Maung Htoo lives in London, Ontario. He's been posting some of those videos and photos on social media, including one of a 19-year-old woman, Kyal Sin, who was shot dead while wearing a t-shirt that said, "Everything will be OK."

"When I look at the video ... she is the only female ... at the forefront, blocking and confronting the police and the military on the street," he said in a separate interview for The House.

"She was also taking control. Telling other colleagues, 'Be careful, be careful. You cannot be tired. Keep fighting. Keep standing. Keep holding.' That was the message she was [saying] in Burmese."
Calls for Canada to do more

Tin is the coordinator of a new group called Burmese Canadian Action Network. His group wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau this week urging Canada to do more to help end the violence.

"Burma has been under totalitarian, authoritarian rule for half a century," he said. "So when these people think this is enough, enough is enough ... they want to move forward."

Tin said he believes people will continue to risk their lives for democracy — to show the world that the military can't be allowed to win.

That same message was delivered last week by Myanmar's then ambassador to the UN during a special meeting of the general assembly.

"Now is not the time for the international community to tolerate the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Myanmar's military," Kyaw Moe Tun said. The country's military rulers fired him the next day.

Rae said that speech — and the daily protests on the streets — demonstrate rare courage.

"And I think it's a reminder that courage is probably the most important of all the virtues, because it's the virtue that makes all the other things possible in life," he said. "Without courage, we have nothing."

Digging into the drought: Why one massive Prairie rainstorm doesn't help

Kevin MacKay 

The Weather Network

3/5/2021

Embedded content: https://players.brightcove.net/1942203455001/B1CSR9sVf_default/index.html?videoId=6235951300001

Precipitation, of all kinds, is the lifeblood of the Prairies, but the region’s wellbeing relies on a delicate balance – too much, and too little, are both consistent concerns.

The need for precipitation exists year-round, even outside the actual growing season. Winter snow is needed to ensure plenty of soil moisture and full reservoirs to kick things off in the spring, while welcome summer rains top up reserves and ease the burden on irrigation systems.

This past winter, however, the snows haven’t held up their end of that bargain. Around 80 per cent of the Canadian Prairie have received less than half their seasonal average rainfall.

While a less voluminous snowpack means somewhat drier soil in the spring – a boon for farmers hoping for early access to their fields – there’s less moisture on hand as the spring turns to summer, with its hotter and drier days set to strain water supplies.

© Provided by The Weather Network

And prior to the winter, it was a mixed bag across the region. Over the past 12 months, the western Prairies saw above-average precipitation, while areas from roughly Regina and eastward to northern Ontario were below by 100-200 mm depending on location.

But there’s one glaring outlier that is a good example of how getting an enormous amount of precipitation all at once is not as preferable as having it spread out more consistently: Brandon, Man., which unlike the rest of the eastern Prairies saw above-average precipitation.

What could be behind this?

Digging into the data, we can find records of a single storm that dropped an astounding 155 mm of rain on June 28th last year in a 10-hour window, nearly double the monthly average and 30 per cent of all precipitation over the last year.

© Provided by The Weather Network

However, that doesn’t mean Brandon escaped the drought conditions. Normally, the Prairie region’s summer precipitation comes from convective and frontal thunderstorms from June to August. Ideally, they don’t become severe, avoiding damaging hail and flooding rain, instead providing manageable pulses of moisture.

Brandon’s deluge, however, was simply too much water. In such cases, flash flooding can occur when heavy rain falls on very dry soil, forcing the bulk of the water into drainage systems, so the soil only really benefits from a small portion of it, whether directly or through reservoirs, which themselves wouldn’t have snagged 100 per cent of it.

Flash flooding can occur when heavy rain falls on very dry soil, acting more like concrete. This forces the water to run down the drainage system, bypassing the parched soil. Yes, a portion of the rainfall was snatched up by the farmland and reservoirs but not 100% of it.

So, no, Brandon didn’t escape its drought. Seasonal precipitation timing, event duration, temperature, and crop status all play an additional role when analyzing the significance of a drought, and that single deluge wasn’t enough for farmers.

Nearly Six-Foot-Long Glowing Shark Discovered in Deep Sea Off New Zealand

The kitefin shark is one of three species of glowing sharks described in a new paper      

Photos of the kitefin shark glowing in the dark. (J Mallefet / UC Louvain / FNRS)
By Alex Fox
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
MARCH 5, 2021

Scientists have discovered three species of glowing sharks in the deep ocean near New Zealand, reports Elle Hunt for the Guardian. One of the species, the kitefin shark, can reach lengths of nearly six feet and researchers say its cool blue glow makes it the largest known species of luminous vertebrate on Earth.

The three bioluminescent sharks—the kitefin shark, the blackbelly lanternshark and the southern lanternshark—were hauled up from the deep during fish surveys of an ocean bottom feature called the Chatham Rise off the east coast of New Zealand in January 2020. All three sharks inhabit the ocean’s mesopelagic or “twilight” zone, which spans depths of 660 to 3,300 feet below the surface.

Bioluminescence is relatively common in the deep sea among fish and squids, but its presence has been murkier and less well-studied among sharks, reports Elizabeth Claire Alberts for Mongabay. A study detailing the discovery, published last month in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, confirms the three sharks’ bioluminescence but suggests their biochemical mechanism for producing light may be different from most sea creatures, per Mongabay.

Most bioluminescence in the deep sea involves a chemical compound called luciferin that glows when it interacts with oxygen. Researchers tell Mongabay that this trio of sharks appears to produce light some other way.

Researchers aren’t exactly sure what purpose the ability to glow serves for the sharks but speculate that their glowing bellies could make them harder to see from below. In the darkness of the deep sea, the ocean surface is a faintly luminous backdrop against which a glowing shark would disappear when viewed from below, concealing it from predators or prey. Per the Guardian, the kitefin may also be using its glow to illuminate prey on the seafloor.

“I tend to say they are the MacGyver users of light, because they use bioluminescence in many different ways,” Jérôme Mallefet, a marine biologist at the Université Catholique de Louvainthe and the study’s lead author, tells Mongabay.


Curiously, the kitefin’s dorsal fin also emits light. Speaking with the Guardian, Mallefet says “we are still very surprised by the glow on the dorsal fin. Why? For which purpose?”

Mallefet says he hopes he will soon be able to safely travel for his research and continue investigating the glowing denizens of the deep. “We hope by highlighting something new in the deep sea of New Zealand—glowing sharks—that maybe people will start thinking we should protect this environment before destroying it,” he tells Mongabay.

“I hope the new generation will carry that message, and I’m more than happy to [add] my little piece of the jigsaw to a big program to protect the ocean,” Mallefet says.

NEW ZEALAND sees 8.1 magnitude earthquake, lifts tsunami warnings following series of quakes

Third earthquake was one of the most powerful in region in modern history

By Peter Aitken | Fox News

3/5/2021

New Zealand residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes after a series of earthquakes over several hours set off tsunami warnings, according to reports.

Three earthquakes struck the Pacific region over a period of 6 hours on Friday, with the last quake registering as 8.1 magnitude -- one of the most powerful earthquakes in the region in modern history.

GREAT BARRIER ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND: Residents wait on higher ground following a tsunami warning on March 5, 2021 in Great Barrier Island, New Zealand. A number of low-lying coastal areas were evacuated across New Zealand following a series of earthquakes this morning. While the threat level has now been downgraded, wave surges are still expected along coastal areas, with New Zealanders warned to stay off beaches. (Photo by Bridget Cameron)

Officials issued advisories for coastal areas after the first quake -- registering as 7.3 magnitude -- originated around 100 miles from the islands.


"We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore," New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency tweeted.

The quakes created waves ranging from 3 to 10 feet in height and forcing officials to issue tsunami warnings in various countries around the Pacific.

The strongest quake originated about 620 miles northeast of New Zealand.

Even Hawaii observed a tsunami warning that lasted 2 and a half hours, Hawaii News Now reported.

GREAT BARRIER ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND: Residents wait on higher ground following a tsunami warning on March 5, 2021 in Great Barrier Island, New Zealand. A number of low-lying coastal areas were evacuated across New Zealand following a series of earthquakes this morning. While the threat level has now been downgraded, wave surges are still expected along coastal areas, with New Zealanders warned to stay off beaches. (Photo by Bridget Cameron)

Despite the significant strength of the earthquakes, no widespread injuries or deaths have been reported. New Zealand residents only reported gridlock as people fled their homes for higher ground, as well as some structural damage.

A smaller, 6.3 magnitude earthquake in 2011 killed 185 people on the southern-most island of Christchurch.

Residents have been told they may return home, but have been warned to remain off beaches, although authorities said the largest waves have passed, the BBC reported.

Congress Member Rejects US Interference in ICC Probe of Israel

CHAIRWOMAN TLAIB OF THE PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS CAUCUS

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in a statement on 03 March 2021 said that formal \investigations into war crimes in the Palestinian Territories will be opened regarding the December 2019 conflicts. | Photo: EFE/EPA/EVA PLEVIER / POOL

Published 5 March 2021 

by Tortilla con sal

U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib refutes Washington's interference in the ICC's decision to investigate war crimes in occupied Palestine.

Michigan's U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib denounced through her Twitter account on Thursday the U.S. Government's attempts to interfere and derail a probe by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into Israeli war crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

ICC Opens Investigation Into Israeli War Crimes in Palestine

"No one is above the law. The ICC has the authority and duty to independently and impartially investigate and bring justice to the victims of human rights violations and war crimes in Palestine and Israel. The United States must not interfere with its ability to do so," the Democratic lawmaker wrote on Twitter.

The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, announced on Wednesday the opening of an investigation into Israeli war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, after she ruled on February 5 that she has jurisdiction to investigate atrocities committed by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Al-Quds (Jerusalem), lands that Israel has occupied for more than 50 years.

However, the White House censured the decision of this body. The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated on Twitter the same day that the U.S. was firmly opposed to the investigation and that it will continue to maintain its "firm commitment to Israel and its security."

This, while Bensouda made clear last June that the investigation into war crimes committed by the Tel Aviv regime against the Palestinians, faces no obstacles, thus rejecting claims and warnings by Israel and its U.S. ally to halt the process.

by teleSUR/capc-MS