Proposed bill would give 14-year-olds right to vote
Senator John Vasconcellos, a California Democrat, is proposing an amendment to the Constitution that would give 14-year-olds a quarter vote and 16-year-olds a half vote in state elections. Supporters say that allowing teens to vote will boost voter turnout, while critics say that teens are not mature enough and that it would be difficult to count partial votes. If passed, the amendment would allow teens to vote in 2006.”War on terror” prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay
Five men who were held for more than two years by the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay were released by Britain on March 10. The men, whose representatives condemn their treatment by the U.S., were among 640 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay suspected to have links with the Taliban regime or the al-Qaeda terrorist network. The five British nationals were freed without charges after U.S. interrogators could not find a connection between the men and al-Qaeda.

Probability of God statistics
Dr. Stephen Unwin, who works as a risk assessor in Ohio, used a 200 year-old formula to calculate that there is a 67% chance that God exists. The theory starts with the assumption that God has a 50/50 chance of existing, and then factors in variables from both sides of the argument. The recognition of goodness, including the existence of miracles, is countered by natural evils such as earthquakes and cancer. His calculations will be published later this month in his book “The Probability of God: A Simple Calculation that Proves the Ultimate Truth,” that includes a spreadsheet of data so that skeptics can make the calculations themselves.

Maryland HIV tests inaccurate
Maryland General Hospital reports that around 460 patients may have received incorrect HIV and hepatitis results during a 14-month period ending August 2003. Patients may have been told they were HIV-negative when they were actually positive, and vice-versa. In January the hospital’s laboratory personnel overrode testing controls showing that the results might be wrong, but still sent them to patients. State inspectors found that 10-15 % could be inaccurate.