After 40 years of suffering caused by cluster bombs, over 100 governments have gathered in Dublin to ban them forever. Over 300 campaigners from around the world including survivors of cluster bombs, Nobel Peace Laureates, former military, British Lords and clearance experts will be present at the negotiations to ensure a treaty is delivered with no exceptions, no loopholes and no delays. The cluster bomb ban will be the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty of the decade, since landmines were outlawed in 1997.

[Ireland.com.] Martin ‘ambitious’ for cluster bomb conference outcome.

Previously: Cluster Bombs conference in Dublin.

Take it away, Dermot Ahern:

The Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions to negotiate a new instrument of international humanitarian law banning cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians will take place from 19-30 May 2008. This will be the critical stage in the process which began in Oslo in February 2007 and has continued in Lima in May 2007, Vienna in December 2007 and Wellington in February 2008.

So a fairly noble cause then. But wait, what’s a cluster bomb? Wikipedia has the detail, but where do you go when you want to see things exploding?

A REAL video of a WCMD cluster-bomb ANNIHILATING a battlefield with THOUSANDS of tiny explosive bomblets! PLUS: incredible ULTRA-SLOW-MOTION of the explosions! AWESOME!!!

So they look like the sort of thing that should be banned. Bad news then, that the US have decided to skip this conference. I don’t think even Paul McCartney can change their minds.

www.clustermunitionsdublin.ie

Photo owned by smiteme (cc)

What do you mean you didn’t know that the British Psychological Society Annual Conference 2008 was running in Dublin, finishing today? They’re releasing studies on all sorts, leading to important tabloid fodder:

• The way we think about power cuts can bring positive psychological and environmental benefits according to new research by psychologists.
• Link between online gaming and violence killed off
• Video Game Addiction Akin to Aspergers
• Binge drinking causing teenagers “alarming levels” of memory loss
• Why it’s better to keep schtum if you’re a Brum
• Obese People Focus On Behavioural Causes Of Weight Problem
• Brief exercise bouts help smokers trying to quit
• Horses can count, a study has shown - and they do it just as well as monkeys and even human babies.
• MARRIED couples are getting bored with each other 24 months earlier than the traditional seven-year itch.
• Revealed: secrets of choosing an online dating name

Horses can count? The best online dating names? What the hell is psychology anyway?

Psychology (from Greek: ψυχή, psychē, “soul”, “self” or “mind”; and λόγος, logos, “speech” lit. “to talk about the psyche”) is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. There is some tension between scientific psychology (with its program of empirical research) and applied psychology (dealing with a number of areas).

Oh right. So it’s Jazz. And it’s also Jazz.