Note: Registration or subscription to the host news sites may be required to read some of the stories linked here.

Stories about evolution and the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin:

Darwin still spurs tributes, debates
Events this week honour scientist's birth, work
Toronto Star, February 9

The evolution of Darwin's theory
Dispute over natural selection continues to this day
Peter McKnight, Vancouver Sun, February 9

Evolution 2.0: From Darwin to dot-com
A faith in science that foretold the information age
Robert Fulford, National Post, February 10

You can love both Darwin and divinity
People among many faiths balance their religious views with evolution
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, February 11

Darwin & Our Lady
Tomorrow, Feb. 12, will be the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin. By coincidence it is also Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, but the media hype I have seen has been reserved mostly for Darwin.
David Warren, Ottawa Citizen, February 11

Evolution of a debate
What precisely this meant for understanding human evolution and purpose was not immediately clear. From the start, however, the natural and seemingly haphazard universal laws that governed "Darwinism," as the theory was quickly labelled, challenged basic Judeo-Christian premises that nature "was the expression of a divine purpose." Natural selection, American scholar Cynthia Eagle Russett observed, "offered a convincing alternative to Divine Providence. It alleged that the nice fit between organism and environment, far from being ordained at the outset, was actually the final outcome of a brutally competitive process in which the less efficient went to the wall." Hence, while many scientists and laymen accepted some aspects of Darwin's theory, his work touched off a great debate about the meaning of God and human existence. Darwin complicated matters further in 1871 when he suggested in his two-volume work The Descent of Man that men and apes evolved from a common ancestor.
Allan Levine, National Post, February 12

Evolution of an industry
Two hundred years after his birth, and 150 years after the publication of his most revolutionary book, On The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin has accomplished something he could never have imagined. The man who explained the meaning of ecological and evolutionary niches exploited by the most fit of species is responsible for an eruption of books of all kinds, quality and varying degrees of success. Darwin has become his own niche in the universe of publishing.
Peter Kavanagh, National Post, February 12

Earlier: Stories about Charles Darwin's upcoming bicentenary

Stories about the gay-friendly "Social Justice 12" course:

Abbotsford approves controversial course for Grade 12
Abbotsford schools have been given a green light to offer Social Justice 12 -- the first in B.C. to address sexual orientation and gender identity issues -- as an elective course this fall to interested students who have parental permission.
Vancouver Sun, February 11

Ministry publication comes under fire
Education Minister Shirley Bond is defending a ministry publication that identifies a Scientology website as a potential resource for teachers to use while preparing lessons about human rights and social justice. The Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) website is identified as a "supplementary resource" in a teaching guide developed by the ministry as part of an effort to make the K-12 curriculum gay-friendly. It's also mentioned in the guide for a new elective course called Social Justice 12.
Vancouver Sun, February 11

Earlier: 'Bible belt' school district halts 'gay-friendly' course

Stories about Bountiful and the polygamy trial:

Polygamy, water, First Nations among subjects of books up for Cohen prize
Books about polygamy, water and Canada's First Nations are among shortlisted works for the annual Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Canadian Press, February 7

Crown seeks joint polygamy trial
Charges of practising polygamy against fundamentalist Mormon leaders from Bountiful have been amended to allow the Crown to try the two men at the same time rather than in separate trials. Special prosecutor Terry Robertson said Friday that underlying both cases is the constitutionality of the polygamy law. So it makes sense to try the two men together even though the evidence against Winston Blackmore, 52, and James Oler, 44, is different.
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, February 9

B.C. civil liberties group calls on Crown to drop polygamy charges
But the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said Monday that the 1892 law that the two men have been charged under violates religious freedom. "The Criminal Code provides adequate provisions for protecting vulnerable women and children without invoking section 293," the group said in a statement. "We should not... stand by quietly while the anti-polygamy law is used in a selective fashion to intrude on religious freedom and/or on responsible adults who make relationship choices that alarm or puzzle other Canadians."
Canadian Press, February 10

Civil libertarians oppose polygamy trial
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association called on Attorney-General Wally Oppal on Monday to drop polygamy charges against two fundamentalist Mormon leaders from Bountiful. "It is our view that the use of the 19th-century, anti-polygamy law to address these concerns is extremely ill-advised," the association said in a news release.
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, February 10

Polygamy charges could easily backfire
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has a knack for telling Canadians truths we don't want to hear. It may have done so again with strongly-worded arguments that the B.C. government's recent polygamy charges against fundamentalist Mormons are misguided and won't stand up in court.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, February 10

Drop polygamy charges, rights group urges B.C.
The B.C. government has relied on selective use of flawed legislation to persecute a religious minority led by polygamists Winston Blackmore and James Oler, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says. In a public appeal to have criminal charges dropped before they are heard in court, the association says in a prepared statement on its website that Canada's anti-polygamy law is archaic, overly vague and unconstitutional.
Globe and Mail, February 11

Earlier: Stories about Bountiful and the polygamy trial

Stories about the Pope and the Holocaust-denying bishop:

Pope reaching out to traditional Catholics
Pope Benedict's decision to bring back to the fold four bishops from a schismatic religious order was an attempt to reach out to a growing element of the Church that longs for a more traditional practice of Catholicism, especially in the heart of worship -- the Mass.
Charles Lewis, National Post, February 7

Still kicking the Pope
In late-January, Pope Benedict made the courageous decision to lift the excommunication of four bishops who were illicitly consecrated in 1988 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. One of these men, however, was a conspiracy theorist named Richard Williamson who questioned the truth about 9/11, denied the Holocaust and thought that The Sound of Music was a porn movie. In other words, he's a repugnant lunatic. But it takes more than repugnance and lunacy to earn excommunication or to have it lifted.
Michael Coren, National Post, February 10

Why Pope Benedict should lay low
As a young boy in Germany, Joseph Ratzinger was a member of the Hitler Youth. For this, he shouldn.t have to apologize. He had no choice in the matter. But for all his statements and mis-statements before and especially since becoming Pope, he has a lot to apologize for. The mess with Bishop or non-bishop Williamson is merely the latest fiasco.
Jerry Amernic, Full Comment, National Post, February 11

Pope provocateur
For the last three weeks, everyone from the papal spokesman to the tawdriest German tabloid has taken shots at the Vatican's mishandling of reconciliation efforts with breakaway traditionalist Catholics in the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). The Holocaust denial of Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the four bishops whose excommunication was lifted for reasons unrelated to his unsustainable historical views, made for an international uproar and understandable expressions of pain and anger from many Jewish groups. No doubt Pope Benedict XVI has had some harsh words for his advisers, who let him down badly in the handling of this episode. Yet three weeks out, the Holy Father can take satisfaction in how this will be resolved.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, February 12

Earlier: Stories about the Holocaust-denying bishop

Stories about pro-life activists and free speech on campus:

What happened to free speech on campus?
Should a public university, funded by taxpayers, be able to censor controversial speech on campus? According to the University of Calgary, the answer to this question is a resounding "yes." In spite of its stated mission to "seek truth and disseminate knowledge," and in spite of advertising itself as "a place of education and scholarly inquiry," the University of Calgary has charged some of its own students with "trespassing" because they set up a pro-life display on their own campus this past November.
John Carpay, National Post, February 9

Free speech on campus? It depends
Pro-life groups are now about as welcome on campus as Holocaust deniers, with whom they are occasionally compared. They've been banned by student governments at Carleton, Guelph, Capilano College, Lakehead University and several others. The Canadian Federation of Students also voted to support these bans. So what happened to free speech? No, no, no, it's not about that at all! One student leader called it a "safety issue." Another said anti-choice organizations would "take away people's rights," and compared them to the Ku Klux Klan.
Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail, February 10

Academia shamefully picks sides in abortion debate
In Calgary, pro-life students setting up a campus information picket protesting abortion, are charged with trespass. In Halifax, pro-choice students who break up a pro-life meeting go home uncharged after the university allegedly refuses to let police arrest them. Double standard? It's worse than that: This looks like deliberate official suppression of one side of an argument, in this case that of people who find offensive the act of killing the unborn.
Nigel Hannaford, Calgary Herald, February 10

Earlier: Pro-life issues still a campus battleground

Continue article >>

Stories about "human rights" tribunals and commissions:

MPs to examine hate-speech provisions of Canadian Human Rights Act
The controversial section of the Canadian Human Rights Act governing hate speech comes under scrutiny today when federal politicians decide whether to debate the limits it places on freedom of expression. Brian Storseth, a Conservative MP, has asked the Commons justice committee to review Section 13 of the act, which contains provisions that deal with hate messages. Mr. Storseth also wants the committee to review the mandate of the commission itself.
Globe and Mail, February 9

Supporters, critics divided over rights commissions
Richard Moon, the University of Windsor law professor who last fall became a darling of right-wing free speech advocates when he recommended scrapping the federal human rights hate speech law, yesterday lashed out at his admirers. He accused them of launching a "smear campaign" against human rights commissions and "baseless personal attacks" against their staff.
National Post, February 10

The perils of a national press council: Been there, done that
In a report to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Barbara Hall has recommended the formation of a national media watchdog - one with the power to chill the expression of opinions such a council deems offensive or discriminatory to "vulnerable groups" by putting their writings through a "human rights filter."
Barbara Kay, National Post, February 12

Earlier: Stories about "human rights" tribunals and commissions

Stories about the Sikh boy charged with misusing a kirpan:

Kirpan case resumes after long delay
The Youth Court case where a 13-year-old boy is charged with using a kirpan to threaten two schoolmates has resumed after a lengthy delay. The court heard testimony from the first police officer on the scene at a LaSalle high school after the incident occurred outside of school grounds. Constable Francine Duval said that after questioning the accused, victims and other witnesses, she was under the impression the kirpan wasn't even an issue in the investigation.
Montreal Gazette, February 6

Student to testify in kirpan trial
A 13-year-old boy accused of using a kirpan to threaten two of his schoolmates is expected to testify in his own defence as the Youth Court case against him comes to an end on Monday. Defence lawyer Julius Grey informed Judge Gilles Ouellet of the plans after the court heard testimony yesterday that raised questions about whether the boy actually used the ceremonial dagger, a symbol of Sikh faith, during a heated exchange between two of his schoolmates.
Montreal Gazette, February 7

Boy, 13, grows faint during kirpan questioning
A 13-year-old boy testifying in his defence on charges he threatened two schoolmates with his kirpan grew faint while being cross-examined in Youth Court. The boy had to take a break after appearing to almost pass out while answering questions about the incident on Sept. 11 at a LaSalle high school.
Montreal Gazette, February 9

Boy wanted kirpan kept secret, trial told
Bringing his kirpan to school was something he wanted to keep a secret, said a 13-year-old boy during a Youth Court trial that sees him accused of using the Sikh religious object, a ceremonial dagger, to threaten two of his schoolmates. Defence lawyer Julius Grey rested his case Monday morning after the accused testified before Judge Gilles Ouellette and denied he took out his kirpan during an argument with the two plaintiffs.
Montreal Gazette, February 9

Boy's trial an extension of school kirpan dispute: defence
Student, 13, charged with assault. Denies he ever used Sikh dagger to threaten schoolmates in argument
Montreal Gazette, February 10

Sikh teen charged with assault using religious dagger says he's innocent
The issue of whether a Sikh religious object should be considered a weapon took centre stage Monday at the trial of a Montreal teen accused of assaulting two classmates.
Canadian Press, February 10

Stories about Islam and the West:

Yoga has Indian Muslims bent out of shape
Imams try to take a conciliatory tack as debate spreads in Islamic world over exercise's Hindu overtones
Globe and Mail, February 6

Throwing the book at sharia law, and Islam
Nonie Darwish, an Egyptian immigrant to America who was raised a devout Muslim, is blunt: "Sharia is Islam, and Islam is Sharia." In her estimation, Islam is a backward and authoritarian ideology that is attempting to impose on the world the norms of seventh-century Bedouin life. For Darwish, Islam is a sinister force that must be resisted and contained.
National Post, February 7

A lesson for schools in Surrey and Ottawa -- aggression works
In a story out of Surrey, England February 6th, an angry headteacher is suing "gutless" education honchos for 100,000 pounds because they failed to support her against Muslim school bullies. The bullies were not children in the school yard, but a group of Muslim governors, appointed in 2003, that plaintiff Erica Connor claims took control of regular board meetings and pushed for a more religious agenda, including pressure on her to link up with the local mosque in order to focus on Muslim worship. When she resisted, she was labelled "racist and Islamophobic." Rather than support her, her superiors branded her as "unresponsive to the needs of the faith community." Connor says she is so depressed at having been made a "helpless scapegoat," she may never work again.
Barbara Kay, Full Comment, National Post, February 10

Toronto mosque offers 'detox' for extremists
A Toronto mosque is offering a "12-step extremist detox program" for radical Muslims that its director says is the first of its kind in Canada. The Specialized De-radicalization Intervention program is intended to provide "treatment and counselling" to young Muslims sympathetic to the al-Qaeda ideology.
National Post, February 11

Upon my honour: The story I wrote on February 10 is true
This may end up being a singular case of complicity with cultural exceptionalism that involves open discrimination, or may be a grim harbinger of a burgeoning pattern. If the story represents the thin end of a wedge, the widest possible exposure and condemnation of the school's moral paralysis is the only remedy. Denying the truth of the story may bring solace to those made uncomfortable by the facts, but it does nothing to forward public discussion around a serious social problem.
Barbara Kay, Full Comment, National Post, February 11

Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West

Other stories from the past week:

Fringe Fights Back
The alien-centred Raelians stage battle for religious freedom in Quebec
National Post, February 6
Earlier: Stories about the Raelians and cloning

Hate expands when people feel shrunken
A famous American psychiatrist named Aaron Beck has written a penetrating book titled Prisoners of Hate: The Cognitive Basis of Anger, Hostility and Violence. Beck believes hatred arises when people feel diminished. Such people initially feel hurt, a feeling they deny because it is so painful. Instead they opt for feeling angry. When that anger grows extreme, it becomes hate.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, February 6

Judge orders Catholic trustee out
Oliver Carroll guilty of conflict of interest, vows to appeal ruling
Toronto Star, February 7
Earlier: Stories about the Toronto Catholic school board

Hate is bad, but is niceness much better?
The psychological roots of hate are not that far from the origins of niceness. My last posting was about the rise of hatred in the world, in geo-politics and on the often-anonymous Internet. But this is about the flip side of hate: Excessive niceness (that Canadian disease).
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, February 8

'Secrecy' over Sunday buses protested
Port Alberni woman complains bus service is only available to churchgoers
Alberni Valley Times, February 10

Bible belt flashes its garter belt
A city deep in Alberta's Bible Belt wants to mark it's seedy past by allowing a plaque to be placed near its old red light district. Members of the Lethbridge Historical Society want to place the monument in an area that was once called The Point where six brightly coloured brothels operated until about 1920.
Canadian Press, February 10

Casting light on an obscure art movement
The AGO's Sin & Salvation exhibition does its part to rehabilitate the Pre-Raphaelites
National Post, February 11

School panel backs Atwood novel
Parent Robert Edwards argued the book was inappropriate because it contains foul language, anti-Christian overtones, violence and sexual degradation. Edwards' 17-year-old son was studying the book in his Grade 12 English class at Lawrence Park Collegiate. Edwards argued that the novel violated the board's policy of respect and tolerance.
Toronto Star, February 12

Former students feel 'closure' tearing down residential school
Anger and sadness mixed with joy and relief as former students of the Port Alberni Indian Residential School came from all over B.C. to help destroy the "monstrous" building. In a private ceremony, the former students reminisced about the years they spent at the school, which was opened in 1920 and closed in 1972, before pulling siding from one of the buildings at the site and burning it.
CanWest News Service, February 12

February 12/2009