George Monbiot: “If you genuinely value diversity, you should welcome the reintroduction of large predators.

It hardly compares in importance to the invasion of Iraq, or the fall of the dollar, or the outcome of the next election. But in some ways the decision that we are being asked to make will say more about us and the world that we choose to inhabit than any of the grand political themes.

Last week, a man called Paul Lister held a conference in Scotland. He explained that, if his plans are accepted by the public, within five years he will be able to reintroduce the wolf, the bear, the Eurasian lynx, the wild boar and the European bison to the Highlands. Similar claims have been made before, but Lister is the first enthusiast who can make it happen. He has millions of pounds and a 23,000-acre estate. He wants his land to become the core of a much larger conservation area. Another landowner, Paul van Vlissingen, has volunteered to add his 81,000 acres to the scheme. As animals such as the wolf and the lynx are smart and agile enough to escape from almost any large enclosure, this is in effect a proposal to repopulate Britain with its extinct native wildlife.” (Guardian.UK)

“Britain’s leading medical ethics expert has suggested that the frail and elderly should consider suicide to stop them becoming a financial burden on their families and society.

Baroness Warnock spoke on the eve of a Commons debate on the Mental Capacity Bill, which critics claim will allow ‘euthanasia by the back door’.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, she said:

‘I know I’m not really allowed to say it, but one of the things that would motivate me [to die] is I couldn’t bear hanging on and being such a burden on people.

‘In other contexts, sacrificing oneself for one’s family would be considered good. I don’t see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance.

‘If I went into a nursing home it would be a terrible waste of money that my family could use far better.'” (Times of London)

“If the quick appointment and even speedier exit of Bernard B. Kerik seemed familiar to veterans of the Bush White House, there was a reason: It was not the first time that haste made hash of one of Mr. Bush’s nominees.

In early January 2001, when Mr. Bush was assembling his first cabinet from offices in Austin, Tex., and here in Washington, a committed conservative, Linda Chavez, broke the unwritten rules of Washington by failing to disclose all during a very quick vetting process.

Mr. Kerik ran afoul the same way. White House officials said Saturday that they had asked all the right questions about the status of his domestic help – whether he paid taxes, whether anyone was in the country illegally. This is hardly a new line of questioning. Hiring illegal immigrants has been prohibited by law since November 1986, and it is the problem that tripped up the nomination of Zoe Baird for attorney general under President Bill Clinton. It was particularly important because Mr. Kerik, if confirmed, would oversee the enforcement of immigration law.” (New York Times )

“Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2) has been nearing Earth for weeks and now it’s bright enough to see with the unaided eye. Look for it in the southeastern sky a few hours after sunset: sky map. The comet looks like a fuzzy 5th-magnitude star near the feet of Orion.” (spaceweather.com )

“In Aruba, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, Michael Blevins was watching the sun set on Dec. 3rd when a dark blue ray lanced across the sky. ‘It lasted for an hour,’ he says.

What is it? Atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley explains: ‘The blue beam piercing the twilit sky is a cloud shadow, a form of crepuscular ray. Somewhere over the horizon a tall cloud is blocking the sun and casting its long shadow through the sky. The dark shadowed air allows us to see the deep blue of the upper atmosphere through it.'” (spaceweather.com )

“Make hot cocoa. Bundle up. Tell your friends: the best meteor shower of 2004 is about to peak on a long cold December night.

It’s the Geminids. The best time to look is Monday night, Dec. 13th. Sky watchers who stay outside for a few hours around midnight can expect to see dozens to hundreds of ‘shooting stars.’

Where should you look? Anywhere. Geminids streak all over the sky. Trace some backwards: they all lead to a radiant point in the constellation Gemini. This year the radiant lies next to Saturn–a beautiful coincidence. Gemini and Saturn are high overhead at midnight, easy to find.” (NASA )

“Their carefully-crafted fascade of snarkish independence would crumble if their phone logs were made public. They’re not really blogging in their pajamas, folks. By mentioning the existance of blog publicists, I’ve threatened to blow their cover. Pay no attention to the men behind the curtains: my social gaffe was in publicly admitting that the mainstream media courts political blogs.”

“A U.S. soldier was sentenced to three years in jail for the murder of a wounded Iraqi teenager in Baghdad in August, the U.S. military said on Saturday.

… During the proceedings his action was described as a “mercy killing.” He shot a youth who had survived an attack by U.S. troops on a garbage truck which they suspected of being used by guerrillas during a Shi’ite uprising in Baghdad in August. U.S. officials have been quoted as saying six other Iraqis also died.

Local people say the men were innocent garbage collectors.

The trial, one of several brought against U.S. troops for murder and other serious crimes, including abusing detainees at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison, is held up by U.S. commanders as a mark of good faith toward Iraqis that soldiers are accountable.” (Reuters)