20 Nov - News Quick Picks

How they larded H1N1 facts with fear

Months of dire swine flu warnings were a dangerous, disruptive cry of "wolf" for an
ailment Canadian health officials knew would be a mild, manageable beast.

That's the pointedly caustic judgement of Dr. Richard Schabas, a one-time provincial
\ health officer who says flu experts knew in July that H1N1 would hold little threat
 for Canadians this fall.

Schabas, now Medical Officer of Health for Hastings and Prince Edward Counties,
says many of his colleagues fed a credulous media with worst-case warnings while downplaying the flu strain's relative weakness.

Commons Afghan debate may be dropped

In early October, MacKay said Canada would remain in Afghanistan once the 

combat mission, governed by an existing parliamentary motion, ends. He said MPs

 would be able to help decide what tasks the country will be involved in.

( How does this correlate with leaving Afghanistan...and am I surprised ? It doesn't
 and I'm not. )

U.S. Fears Iraq Development Projects May Go

 to Waste

( Is anybody worried Canadian-Afghan development projects
 may go to waste ? )

Evidence-Based Medicine: Hard For Some To Swallow

 "The basic principle of evidence based medicine is that clinical decisions that are made between doctors and patients should be driven by data,"

Once the invisible man, now the centre of attention

Now, as he serves as deputy head of security and intelligence in Canada's Washington embassy
, friends say he agreed to testify knowing it could be a career-ending move.

Lesbian U.S. soldier wins bid for asylum

 A lesbian soldier who deserted the U.S. army won a key court victory Friday

 when a judge ordered the refugee board to reconsider her failed asylum claim 

and take into account compelling evidence that she was persecuted and that

 her sexual orientation could mean stiffer punishment for going AWOL.

Canadian scientists have found a way to stun and unstun a worm using light