A hoax about Mazlan Othman's appointment as U.N. ambassador to greet aliens visiting Earth spread like wildfire on Sunday. Image: CC pingnews.com/Flickr

News that the United Nations is poised to appoint an alien ambassador spread like wildfire over the Internet Sunday. Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist, head of the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs, was reportedly in line for the job. Othman is on the record saying that, should it happen, humans need a coordinated response to alien visitors. Rapidly increasing discoveries of planets outside the solar system make the possibility of alien contact less outrageous than in the recent past. The debate about extraterrestrial life even has Stephan Hawking warning Earth to be wary. But the alien ambassador story turned out to be nothing but the latest Web-spawned wildfire, when Othman doused the flames with a denial via e-mail to a British newspaper.

U.N. to coordinate humanity’s response to aliens?

The story that Mazlan Othman would be appointed the U.N. alien ambassador “broke” in the Sunday Times and spread like a super bug around the world. The Sunday Times quoted Othman from a speech at a recent seminar in which she talked about the search for alien transmissions from space. Othman said Earth should have a coordinated response and that the U.N. would be the best organization for the job. Newspapers like the Australian took the bait, mentioning that Othman would be talking more about imminent contact with aliens at a scientific conference sponsored by the Royal Society in Britain next week.

The search for extraterrestrial life

The first extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, was confirmed to exist in 1992. The Kepler Mission, a NASA space observatory launched in 2009, has identified hundreds of possible exoplanets. As the odds seem more likely that intelligent alien life may exist, British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking sounded a warning last spring. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Hawking said that instead of seeking the aliens out, humanity should be trying to avoid getting noticed. Aliens would most likely be looking for planets to exploit for their resources. He also said we need only to look in the mirror to imagine the consequences. “We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet.”

Alien ambassador falls to Earth

The U.N. alien ambassador story was brought down to Earth by Othman herself. Rather than jump on the bandwagon, the Guardian decided to actually check the facts. The British newspaper called the Royal Society to ask about Othman’s upcoming speech on alien contact. No one there knew anything about it. The U.N. referred all inquiries about the Office for Outer Space Affairs to an unresponsive switchboard in Vienna. Finally, Othman responded to a Guardian e-mail and burst the U.N. alien ambassador bubble. She wrote “It sounds really cool, but I have to deny it.” Her speech to the Royal Society next week will be about how Earth will deal with a problem that actually exists, a possible collision with near-earth objects.

John Bolton sees Obama making lemonade out of lemons, but he'd rather see Israel bomb the lemonade stand to the ground. (Photo Credit: CC BY-SA/Torsten/Wikipedia)

Controversial former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton claims that Israel has a three-day window in which to bomb Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant before it becomes fully functional, reports Agence France-Presse. Once nuclear fuel is loaded into the plant’s core, any attacks would spread radiation and harm Iranian civilians. Conventional wisdom suggests that Israel will not strike Bushehr, but Bolton and those of similar mindset appear to be goading Israel toward war. Despite sanctions by the United States and the European Union, Iran’s quest for nuclear power has continued.

John Bolton says Bushehr is a major step toward nuclear weapons

John Bolton, always known for his aggressive, irascible style, doesn’t mince words regarding Bushehr. He sees it as a potential weapons factory the likes of which men such as Saddam Hussein only dreamed of, according to AFP. Yet such has been the ongoing argument between Iran and the United Nations: Is the Middle Eastern nation prepping a nuclear weapons program, or is it simply attempting to upgrade its power grid through nuclear means? Bolton, now a senior fellow at the conservative think-tank American Enterprise Institute, has been fixated for years on potential nuclear weapons programs in nations like North Korea and Iran. Numerous media sources like CBS News have accused him of having a “one-track mind” on the matter, and Bolton has been accused in the past by the liberal media of spinning intelligence to confirm his pronouncements, even when sufficient evidence was not present.

Bolton would bomb the lemonade stand

A recent New York Times op-ed by Bolton spoke of his disenchantment with the Obama administration’s stance on Iran:

“There is no possibility the Obama administration will use force, despite its confused and ever-changing formulation about the military option always being ‘on the table.’… It is hard to conclude anything except that the Obama administration is resigned to Iran possessing nuclear weapons. While U.S. policymakers will not welcome that outcome, they certainly hope as a corollary that Iran can be contained and deterred. Since they have ruled out the only immediate alternative, military force, they are doubtless now busy preparing to make lemonade out of this pile of lemons.”

Bombing Bushehr would mean war, says Foreign Policy magazine

The United States has had a complex relationship with the Jewish state. World War II was a major turning point, and the U.S. warmed even more to the cause of Israel in the days following Israel’s victory in 1967′s Six Day War. Thus, it is reasonable to say that while the nations do not have specific treaties in place, the United States and Israel are de-facto allies. Thus, a war between Iran and Israel would conceivably involve the U.S., even though the U.S. itself would not have a “just or strategically sound cause for initiating war,” writes Foreign Policy magazine. This is perhaps why John Bolton would love to see Israel do the job on its own. Even a noted war hawk like Bolton knows when it’s time to hold ‘em, as the United States’ military resources are already stretched too thin on multiple fronts. But if Israel bombs the lemonade stand, can the U.S. realistically hope to remain unstained by the citrus firestorm?

Sources:

Foreign Policy magazine

History News Network

Wall Street Journal

Wikipedia

Yahoo! News/AFP

What John Bolton has said about Iran and Israel in the past

Kyrgyzstan could use old national heroes like Manas now. Then again, he probably doesn't have $1.1 billion in instant cash to give for recovery. (Photo Credit: neiljs/Flickr/CC BY)

Open violence in the Central Asian nation Kyrgyzstan has cost hundreds of lives, created at least 400,000 refugees and all but destroyed the national budget. The nation’s move toward parliamentary democracy – which has emboldened supporters of overthrown former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and militants from Uzbekistan – has been at the center of clashes between armed troops and civilian protesters. As the fighting subsides, the focus in Kyrgyzstan moves toward an economically daunting recovery. And as current reports from Reuters and other international media sources indicate, emergency money is on the way.

International donors will give Kyrgyzstan $1.1 billion

Donors attending a conference in Kyrgyzstan’s capital city of Bishkek will grant an initial $600 million instant cash payment in 2010, with the rest to come in 2011. Acting President Roza Otunbayeva encouraged donors and representatives from the World Bank and United Nations with a promise that the nation will find the necessary resources to rebuild. Considering that the political turmoil of the past few months has caused the national economy to shrink by at least 5 percent (5.5 percent growth had been forecast before the violence began), the financial windfall comes at just the right time. Kyrgyzstan was in need of extra cash, and the donors have pledged to deliver.

More than $1 billion needed to repair buildings and infrastructure

Kyrgyzstan’s budget deficit plunged to an estimated 13.5 percent of its gross domestic product, according to Reuters. Once Bakiyev was overthrown, the total deficit jumped from $269 million to $619 million, per acting Kyrgyzstan Finance Minister Chorobek Imashev. Acting President Otunbayeva has announced that more than $350 million is necessary to rebuild settlements in Osh and Jalalabad, while $100 million more is needed to restart the local economy. In addition, energy rebuilding costs are expected to total $180 million, and agriculture will require $50 million. In total, while no amount of money can replace lost or displaced lives, $1.1 billion in emergency money for Kyrgyzstan will go a long way toward stabilizing a nation in chaos.

Sources:

Reuters

Chaos in Kyrgyzstan (WARNING: Some violent images may be disturbing)

Kosovo is only 31 countries away from acquiring a UN recognition. (Photo: Kosovo Future Maker/Flickr/cc by-nd)

The international court within the UN, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that Kosovo has the legal right to declare freedom from Serbia. Both sides of this debate have been waiting anxiously for this decision. This decision is going to have effects around the world.

Kosovo declares freedom

In February of 2008, Kosovo made a unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia. Between 1998 and 1999, Serbian forces cracked down on Kosovo separatists. This crackdown left about 10,000 individuals dead. Response attacks killed another several thousand people. A special administrative mission of the United Nations has helped govern the Kosovo region of Serbia since 1999. Serbia claims it must keep the Kosovo region because it is a major part of their national identity.

Kosovo’s freedom not completely recognized

The freedom of Kosovo as a nation has been recognized by only 69 other countries. It takes 100 countries recognizing an independent state before the UN will recognize its independence. Serbia asked the International Court of Justice to review Kosovo’s declaration, arguing that Kosovo wasn’t in proper standing to split from the country.

In a ruling made in late July, 2010, the ICJ agreed that Kosovo did have the right. Specifically, ICJ president Hisashi Owada said that international law “contains no prohibition on declarations of independence.” There is very little precedence on declarations of independence within the UN, and the court is said to have consulted the breakup of the USSR for help coming to a decision.

How the decision will reverberate

The International Court of Justice ruling that Kosovo’s declaration of freedom is within international law will probably have wide-ranging effects. The ruling is being celebrated by separatist movements around the world. Many embattled governments are vowing that they will continue fighting these separations. It is likely the ICJ ruling will help Kosovo build the 100 supporting countries necessary for UN recognition, though the region will be in dispute long into the future.

Autistic kids can face a difficult path in life. (Photo: Strollerderby)

The Boston-area special needs school Judge Rotenberg Center enrolls students ages 3 to adult, all of whom are either autistic kids or are struggling with severe emotional, behavioral or psychiatric disorders. Those students who display undesirable behavior, reports ABC News, are subjected to a treatment which the United Nations is calling “torture.” Judge Rotenberg students, including autistic kids, are subject to shock treatment.

‘Aversive therapy’ for autistic kids not torture, claims JRC

Calling the JRC’s treatment of autistic kids in extreme situations torture is akin to calling a physician using a scalpel on a patient assault with a deadly weapon, claim JRC representatives. They claim that shock treatment in short bursts is humane when compared with the alternatives of either allowing emotionally disturbed or even autistic kids to cause themselves or others physical harm  or otherwise medicating them into a lobotomized state. Head JRC doctor Matthew Israel told ABC that the real torture for autistic kids and others is the latter. He stated that JRC’s shock treatment “has no detrimental effects whatsoever.”

A two-second skin shock

The Judge Rotenberg Center uses a small device that administers a shock when necessary as a form of behavioral therapy, says Israel. Students are only subjected to the device after a court and (in the case of autistic kids) parents or caregivers approve. Allegedly, the short shock hurts just enough to dissuade JRC students from destructive behavior. After periods of good behavior, students are rewarded with points that they can use to buy prizes. In total, the Judge Rotenberg Center houses such students for $200,000 per year, taxpayer financed.

The U.N. and advocates for the disabled condemn the treatment

Eric Rosenthal, an advocate for the disabled, created a report that prompted the United Nations to become involved in the JRC’s activities. Massachusetts Sen. Brian Joyce has tried to shut down the Judge Rotenberg Center but has been unsuccessful. The United Nations reference America’s international treaty stance on torture when referring to the JRC’s shock treatment of autistic kids and other students. The argument is that if the United States shouldn’t be administering shock treatment to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, how can any home soil organization be allowed do it to children?

Sources:

ABC News

Surgeon Sherwin Nuland discusses the development of electroshock therapy (Editor’s Note: A small amount of NSFW language is used):

The Autism Ribbon symbolizes the mystery and complexity of the disorder.

Today is the third annual World Autism Awareness Day, an international day of observance intended to improve our understanding of autism. Autism is a mysterious and complex disorder, which is now said to be the most rapidly increasing developmental disorder in the world. Autism has a strong genetic basis; proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines are matters of controversy.

World Autism Awareness Day was created by unanimous resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in an effort to help provide full and meaningful lives for autistic children and adults. Twenty countries participated in the inaugural celebration on April 2, 2008.  Even if you need a loan today, you can gain a better understanding of autism without borrowing money.

A better understanding

World Autism Awareness Day is one of the many ways in which the United Nations promotes the rights and well-being of disabled persons. This year, in his message for World Autism Awareness Day, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated:

“Let us join persons with autism, their families and their advocates in a community of voices for greater awareness and understanding. Let us also look within, and re-evaluate our attitudes and those of our societies so we can remove the prejudices that discriminate against persons with disabilities. Let us dedicate ourselves to creating a fair and caring society that affords true dignity and rights for all.”

Community events to raise awareness

World Autism Awareness Day is a time to celebrate the unique talents and skills of people with autism, and to encourage their involvement in a wide variety of community events being sponsored throughout the world. A calendar of events can be found on the World Autism Awareness Day website. There is no known cure for Autism, which now affects some 67 million people. About one every 110 children has been diagnosed with the disease.

April is National Autism Awareness Month

Since the 1970s, the Autism Society of America has promoted April as National Autism Awareness Month. The ASA’s month-long campaign efforts are intended to improve public awareness of autism and increase concern for its treatment and management. The long-standing campaign evidences our increasing understanding of and respect for people with autism.

Austim includes a wide range of disorders

Autism is a spectrum disorder characterized by varied and complex neurological problems. Autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder because its symptoms can range from very mild to significantly disabling. Generally, autism appears in children by age three and is initially marked by atypical development of socialization and communication skills combined with restrictive and repetitive behaviors. The three general categories of disorders included in the autism spectrum are autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and various non-specific and pervasive developmental disorders.