News update

Peppers prevent cancer: BBC

Chavez plans hit Venezuelan market: BBC

Mr Chavez's announcement drew criticism from the US.

"The news comes as a surprise, as we were under the impression that President Chavez supported direct foreign investments," said Bank of America analysts in a research note.

"Nationalisation has a long and inglorious history of failure around the world," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

"If any US companies are affected, we would expect them to be promptly and fairly compensated," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

Aspirin 'stops (adult-onset) asthma developing': BBC

Israel Interior Ministry file distributed on the web: Jerusalem Post

File-sharing firm to buy own 'nation' to avoid international copyright laws: PC Advisor

Esperanto proves resilient as the movement lasts 120 years: CP

Spy coon caper loses traction with retraction from U.S. spy agency: CP

OTTAWA (CP) - It seems there's no danger of your spare change spying on you after all.

Canada's anti-drug strategy a failure, study suggests: CBC (Globe story)

Scientists create anti-cancer chickens: CBC (note: actual headline says 'chicken eggs'; I thought that was unnecessary.)

Confessions of a teenage fabulist: What happens when a scholarship student at a top Canadian J-school fabricates a few articles? Nothing, apparently: Maisonneuve
(Ask if you want the last few hilarious days of chatter about this article on the CAJ listserv.)

Pirates of the Canadians: Globe
At one point during 2006, Canadian theatres were the source for nearly 50 per cent of illegal camcords across the globe . . .

Toronto company has dibs on iPhone: Globe
“There's nobody infringing on our trademark in Canada at the present time. There's announcements but no one has actually infringed yet. Apple hasn't launched their iPhone in Canada and Cisco hasn't launched their iPhone in Canada, either. So it's still yet to be determined and that's why we're taking our time and studying our moves.”

Also, I'm watching a hilarious movie, Green Pastures, right now — it re-enacts important scenes from the Bible in "a black people's world." I still haven't decided if it's supposed to be funny or if, when it was made — 1936 — making a movie out of one big racist joke was OK, and it was the actors who injected the subtle humour. Either way, it makes me want to see Little Mosque on the Prairie for myself.

CanWest merger causes existential problems: the tyee