Friday, October 17, 2003
Atheism can be cured
They say there is no such thing as a dead atheist. Proof of that is the remarkable story of Howard Storm, who did a total u-turn in his thinking following a near-death experience.
I am fascinated by near-death experiences, because of the glimpses they give us of what lies beyond death. Early research on the topic was done by Doctors Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Raymond Moodey, but since then a multitude of stories have emerged.
Two major web sites dealing with the topic are Near-death.com, and the International Association for Near-death Studies.
They say there is no such thing as a dead atheist. Proof of that is the remarkable story of Howard Storm, who did a total u-turn in his thinking following a near-death experience.
I am fascinated by near-death experiences, because of the glimpses they give us of what lies beyond death. Early research on the topic was done by Doctors Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Raymond Moodey, but since then a multitude of stories have emerged.
Two major web sites dealing with the topic are Near-death.com, and the International Association for Near-death Studies.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Unbridled arrogance
The government’s arrogant use of power this week to push through a major constitutional change by the slimmest of margins is well documented. (That the government seems to be able to outrage the electorate and yet retain its unbelievably high popularity is a continuing mystery.)
Chris Trotter – a left-wing journalist who seems to be having a lot of second thoughts about where his sympathies lie – has a cutting analysis of the roots of the government’s arrogance. And Simon Upton – living in exile in France – provides us with some penetrating comparisons between European upheavals over a new EU constitution and the situation in New Zealand. There are some lessons to be considered here as the government continues to push NZ towards a republic. For instance, who’s going to write the constitution? Would you really trust the man who brought us the wonderful new Prostitution Reform Act that’s now giving hernias to city councils up and down the country? Well, he’s the one the Attorney-General has appointed to head an enquiry into the constitution. Be very afraid.
And isn't it a strange irony, that the closest Labour can find to an intellectual, former Prime Minister (now Sir) Geoffrey Palmer, once wrote a book extolling the virtues of a written constitution, entitled (wait for it!) Unbridled Power.
The government’s arrogant use of power this week to push through a major constitutional change by the slimmest of margins is well documented. (That the government seems to be able to outrage the electorate and yet retain its unbelievably high popularity is a continuing mystery.)
Chris Trotter – a left-wing journalist who seems to be having a lot of second thoughts about where his sympathies lie – has a cutting analysis of the roots of the government’s arrogance. And Simon Upton – living in exile in France – provides us with some penetrating comparisons between European upheavals over a new EU constitution and the situation in New Zealand. There are some lessons to be considered here as the government continues to push NZ towards a republic. For instance, who’s going to write the constitution? Would you really trust the man who brought us the wonderful new Prostitution Reform Act that’s now giving hernias to city councils up and down the country? Well, he’s the one the Attorney-General has appointed to head an enquiry into the constitution. Be very afraid.
And isn't it a strange irony, that the closest Labour can find to an intellectual, former Prime Minister (now Sir) Geoffrey Palmer, once wrote a book extolling the virtues of a written constitution, entitled (wait for it!) Unbridled Power.
A new cure as old as time
Want to improve your chances of surviving heart disease, avoiding cancer, becoming wealthier, having a happier retirement? In a world obsessed with discovering new cures for everything, there’s an age-old cure that has been overlooked, even tossed aside. But new research is showing that marriage can provide all these benefits and more. “Save yourself, stay [or get] married,� is the call from US researchers Waite and Gallagher.
"Not being married can be hazardous to your health," they say. Research
is proving that those who get -- and stay -- married can count on much better health than those who don't. Waite and Gallagher found that divorced, single, and widowed people are "far more likely to die from all causes," including heart disease, stroke, car
accidents, murder, and suicide. As for cancer, being married dramatically increases
the odds of survival. "Even sick people who marry live longer than their counterparts
who don't," they write. Their “10 reasons why marriage is good for you� is compelling reading.
Want to improve your chances of surviving heart disease, avoiding cancer, becoming wealthier, having a happier retirement? In a world obsessed with discovering new cures for everything, there’s an age-old cure that has been overlooked, even tossed aside. But new research is showing that marriage can provide all these benefits and more. “Save yourself, stay [or get] married,� is the call from US researchers Waite and Gallagher.
"Not being married can be hazardous to your health," they say. Research
is proving that those who get -- and stay -- married can count on much better health than those who don't. Waite and Gallagher found that divorced, single, and widowed people are "far more likely to die from all causes," including heart disease, stroke, car
accidents, murder, and suicide. As for cancer, being married dramatically increases
the odds of survival. "Even sick people who marry live longer than their counterparts
who don't," they write. Their “10 reasons why marriage is good for you� is compelling reading.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Analysing the upheaval
Western civilisation is going through a huge upheaval, perhaps its death-throes. One of the chroniclers of the times is William Van Dusen Wishard, the head of a Washington consultancy, Worldtrends. Wishard has just written a book called Between Two Ages: The Meaning of Our Times, in which he analyses what’s going on (obviously with particular emphasis on the USA, but it’s also highly relevant to New Zealand). Here are a few quotes:
“Throughout history, science and technology have been viewed as an aid to man, as an extension of human capability. The question is whether we've entered a period in which certain technologies exist in their own right, under their own laws, and for purposes that have little to do with extending human capabilities. Rather, their purpose is to supplant human effort and meaning altogether.�
“We have a culture of dysfunction. A culture that becomes disconnected from its transcendent roots becomes dysfunctional. Dysfunction is now a style of life in America, with its own music, media, dress code and philosophy.�
“My personal view is that we're headed into a time of severe trial, of difficulty and danger over the coming decade. Technological, economic, social and psychological forces, about which we know very little and over which we have minimal control, have been unleashed on a global scale.�
Wishard has a rather optimistic view of where this all might come out, and I do not agree with many of his conclusions, particularly his basis for hope (which appears to rest in the ultimate ability of man to chart a new course). But his analysis of where we are now is spot on. Click here for a precis of the book.
Western civilisation is going through a huge upheaval, perhaps its death-throes. One of the chroniclers of the times is William Van Dusen Wishard, the head of a Washington consultancy, Worldtrends. Wishard has just written a book called Between Two Ages: The Meaning of Our Times, in which he analyses what’s going on (obviously with particular emphasis on the USA, but it’s also highly relevant to New Zealand). Here are a few quotes:
“Throughout history, science and technology have been viewed as an aid to man, as an extension of human capability. The question is whether we've entered a period in which certain technologies exist in their own right, under their own laws, and for purposes that have little to do with extending human capabilities. Rather, their purpose is to supplant human effort and meaning altogether.�
“We have a culture of dysfunction. A culture that becomes disconnected from its transcendent roots becomes dysfunctional. Dysfunction is now a style of life in America, with its own music, media, dress code and philosophy.�
“My personal view is that we're headed into a time of severe trial, of difficulty and danger over the coming decade. Technological, economic, social and psychological forces, about which we know very little and over which we have minimal control, have been unleashed on a global scale.�
Wishard has a rather optimistic view of where this all might come out, and I do not agree with many of his conclusions, particularly his basis for hope (which appears to rest in the ultimate ability of man to chart a new course). But his analysis of where we are now is spot on. Click here for a precis of the book.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
President proclaims Marriage Protection Week
US President George Bush has proclaimed October 12-18 as Marriage Protection Week. Not without good reason. Marriage in the States is under huge threat following decisions in several state courts (and in Canada) which are leading the way towards same-sex marriage. New Zealand is not far behind, as you can read here.
US President George Bush has proclaimed October 12-18 as Marriage Protection Week. Not without good reason. Marriage in the States is under huge threat following decisions in several state courts (and in Canada) which are leading the way towards same-sex marriage. New Zealand is not far behind, as you can read here.
Monday, October 13, 2003
Prospects dim for a world ban on cloning
A drive for a global ban on live-birth cloning by the United Nations has stalled after contending parties failed to compromise. A proposal to ban all cloning, proposed by Costa Rica and the United States and supported by about 40 countries, has clashed with a proposal to ban live-birth cloning immediately but to leave "therapeutic" cloning unregulated. The second proposal is supported by 14 countries, including a number of European nations and Japan, Brazil and South Africa.
The US spokesman in the negotiations, Ann Corkery, argues that an international agreement which allows cloning for research "would essentially authorise the creation of a human embryo for the purpose of killing it to extract stem cells, thus elevating the value of research and experimentation above that of a human life." The opposing point of view was expressed by the UK spokesman, Elizabeth Woodson, who spoke of the "enormous promise" of therapeutic cloning. This is the second time that UN debate has reached an impasse on cloning. A French and German proposal foundered last year on
precisely the same issue. A drive for a global ban on live-birth cloning by the United
Nations has stalled after contending parties failed to compromise. A proposal to ban all cloning, proposed by Costa Rica and the United States and supported by about 40 countries, has clashed with a proposal to ban live-birth cloning immediately but to leave
"therapeutic" cloning unregulated. The second proposal is supported by 14 countries, including a number of European nations and Japan, Brazil and South Africa. It now appears impossible to forge a ban of any kind because of the divide.
The US spokesman in the negotiations, Ann Corkery, argues that an international agreement which allows cloning for research "would essentially authorise the creation of a human embryo for the purpose of killing it to extract stem cells, thus elevating the value of research and experimentation above that of a human life." The opposing point of view was expressed by the UK spokesman, Elizabeth Woodson, who spoke of the "enormous promise" of therapeutic cloning. This is the second time that UN debate has reached an impasse on cloning. A French and German proposal foundered last year on precisely the same issue.
A drive for a global ban on live-birth cloning by the United Nations has stalled after contending parties failed to compromise. A proposal to ban all cloning, proposed by Costa Rica and the United States and supported by about 40 countries, has clashed with a proposal to ban live-birth cloning immediately but to leave "therapeutic" cloning unregulated. The second proposal is supported by 14 countries, including a number of European nations and Japan, Brazil and South Africa.
The US spokesman in the negotiations, Ann Corkery, argues that an international agreement which allows cloning for research "would essentially authorise the creation of a human embryo for the purpose of killing it to extract stem cells, thus elevating the value of research and experimentation above that of a human life." The opposing point of view was expressed by the UK spokesman, Elizabeth Woodson, who spoke of the "enormous promise" of therapeutic cloning. This is the second time that UN debate has reached an impasse on cloning. A French and German proposal foundered last year on
precisely the same issue. A drive for a global ban on live-birth cloning by the United
Nations has stalled after contending parties failed to compromise. A proposal to ban all cloning, proposed by Costa Rica and the United States and supported by about 40 countries, has clashed with a proposal to ban live-birth cloning immediately but to leave
"therapeutic" cloning unregulated. The second proposal is supported by 14 countries, including a number of European nations and Japan, Brazil and South Africa. It now appears impossible to forge a ban of any kind because of the divide.
The US spokesman in the negotiations, Ann Corkery, argues that an international agreement which allows cloning for research "would essentially authorise the creation of a human embryo for the purpose of killing it to extract stem cells, thus elevating the value of research and experimentation above that of a human life." The opposing point of view was expressed by the UK spokesman, Elizabeth Woodson, who spoke of the "enormous promise" of therapeutic cloning. This is the second time that UN debate has reached an impasse on cloning. A French and German proposal foundered last year on precisely the same issue.
Danish call for selective breeding to boost IQs
Intelligent women should be given time off from their careers to have children and less intelligent ones should be paid not to have them, says a leading Danish psychologist. In remarks which sparked a huge controversy, Professor Helmuth Nyborg, the dean of the Psychology Institute at Aarhus University, said that he wanted to turn around the declining figures for average intelligence in Denmark. "Intelligence is hereditary," he said. "The 15 to 20 per cent of those at the lower levels of society -- those who are not
able to manage even the simplest tasks and often not their children -- should be dissuaded from having children." Professor Nyborg insisted that his eugenics proposals were altogether different from Nazi ideologies. "Hitler didn't believe in eugenics," he said. "He just wanted to exterminate individual groups, and in fact exterminated the most intelligent among them." Full article from The Washington Post.
Intelligent women should be given time off from their careers to have children and less intelligent ones should be paid not to have them, says a leading Danish psychologist. In remarks which sparked a huge controversy, Professor Helmuth Nyborg, the dean of the Psychology Institute at Aarhus University, said that he wanted to turn around the declining figures for average intelligence in Denmark. "Intelligence is hereditary," he said. "The 15 to 20 per cent of those at the lower levels of society -- those who are not
able to manage even the simplest tasks and often not their children -- should be dissuaded from having children." Professor Nyborg insisted that his eugenics proposals were altogether different from Nazi ideologies. "Hitler didn't believe in eugenics," he said. "He just wanted to exterminate individual groups, and in fact exterminated the most intelligent among them." Full article from The Washington Post.
Rugby World Cup "cleansing"
Watching the opening of the Rugby World Cup on Friday night I was struck by one particular item: the aboriginal “cleansing of the site�. I wonder if this is new in Australian main-stream culture? It’s a common feature now in New Zealand, of course. Almost nothing can happen – certainly nothing can be officially opened – without a Maori ceremony, which will frequently include a lifting of tapu, or an invocation to banish spirits.
What’s going on here? Has Maori become the new State religion? Why does it now always have to be a Maori blessing, rather than the Christian blessing that was equally obligatory 50 years ago? Is a Maori cleansing equivalent to a Christian blessing? No-one is answering these questions; in fact, hardly anyone is asking them.
It has all crept in rather quickly as part of the PC process that has afflicted government, and no-one’s eyebrows are raising. It’s particularly strange when you consider that strong forces are at work in New Zealand, as in all western countries, to banish every trace of ordinary religion (ie, read Christianity) from public life. Only recently, Prime Minister Helen Clark refused to allow grace to be said at a state banquet attended by the Queen. That might seem a petty example, but it was a massive insult considering the Queen is the official head of the Church of England.
Further evidence that Maori is now the State religion came with the story last week that Maori prayer sessions are being held in Bowen House for parliamentary workers. The session's creator, Oketopa Kuni Shepherd, said they were to help reduce Parliamentary Services staff stress levels and help people work positively. But his boss, planning and corporate support manager Sheryl Kruger, said lowering stress levels was not the reason the daily sessions had started. They were a training and development session in tikanga Maori aimed at meeting bicultural obligations. "We are trying to build some cultural diversity, which is what this is really all about."
You can bet your boots the Government won't be asking conservative Christian leaders to come in and lead prayers each morning. And if it is really about cultural diversity, can we expect to see Muslim clerics lining up?
Watching the opening of the Rugby World Cup on Friday night I was struck by one particular item: the aboriginal “cleansing of the site�. I wonder if this is new in Australian main-stream culture? It’s a common feature now in New Zealand, of course. Almost nothing can happen – certainly nothing can be officially opened – without a Maori ceremony, which will frequently include a lifting of tapu, or an invocation to banish spirits.
What’s going on here? Has Maori become the new State religion? Why does it now always have to be a Maori blessing, rather than the Christian blessing that was equally obligatory 50 years ago? Is a Maori cleansing equivalent to a Christian blessing? No-one is answering these questions; in fact, hardly anyone is asking them.
It has all crept in rather quickly as part of the PC process that has afflicted government, and no-one’s eyebrows are raising. It’s particularly strange when you consider that strong forces are at work in New Zealand, as in all western countries, to banish every trace of ordinary religion (ie, read Christianity) from public life. Only recently, Prime Minister Helen Clark refused to allow grace to be said at a state banquet attended by the Queen. That might seem a petty example, but it was a massive insult considering the Queen is the official head of the Church of England.
Further evidence that Maori is now the State religion came with the story last week that Maori prayer sessions are being held in Bowen House for parliamentary workers. The session's creator, Oketopa Kuni Shepherd, said they were to help reduce Parliamentary Services staff stress levels and help people work positively. But his boss, planning and corporate support manager Sheryl Kruger, said lowering stress levels was not the reason the daily sessions had started. They were a training and development session in tikanga Maori aimed at meeting bicultural obligations. "We are trying to build some cultural diversity, which is what this is really all about."
You can bet your boots the Government won't be asking conservative Christian leaders to come in and lead prayers each morning. And if it is really about cultural diversity, can we expect to see Muslim clerics lining up?
