Friday, December 12, 2003
Where tolerance and diversity break down
A special commission in France has come up with an unprecedented solution to a problem that has been festering for some time. The problem: a growing Muslim community, and growing public unease about it. This festered into a row over whether Muslim schoolgirls could wear a headscarf to school. President Chirac appointed a commission to come up with some answers, and the result was almost pure French. It recommends that no "overt" religious symbols be permitted in schools, and that includes scarves, Jewish skull caps and large Christian crosses. As a trade-off, the commission recommends that Jewish and Muslim holidays be added to the school calendar.
This is a perfect example of how the modern ideas of "tolerance" and "diversity" ultimately end up in a mess. "Tolerance" is supposed to mean that we allow everybody to express their culture. But France could not tolerate that, because of fears that it would permit Muslims to promote their religion (and maybe their own form of intolerance). So headscarves are out. To equalise everybody, in the name of separation of church and state, so are headcaps and crosses. But because the Jewish and Christian communities are actually rather large and powerful in France, they had to find a sop. So, in with everybody's religious holidays. How come a religious holiday is not proselytising while a headscarf is ... go figure!
A special commission in France has come up with an unprecedented solution to a problem that has been festering for some time. The problem: a growing Muslim community, and growing public unease about it. This festered into a row over whether Muslim schoolgirls could wear a headscarf to school. President Chirac appointed a commission to come up with some answers, and the result was almost pure French. It recommends that no "overt" religious symbols be permitted in schools, and that includes scarves, Jewish skull caps and large Christian crosses. As a trade-off, the commission recommends that Jewish and Muslim holidays be added to the school calendar.
This is a perfect example of how the modern ideas of "tolerance" and "diversity" ultimately end up in a mess. "Tolerance" is supposed to mean that we allow everybody to express their culture. But France could not tolerate that, because of fears that it would permit Muslims to promote their religion (and maybe their own form of intolerance). So headscarves are out. To equalise everybody, in the name of separation of church and state, so are headcaps and crosses. But because the Jewish and Christian communities are actually rather large and powerful in France, they had to find a sop. So, in with everybody's religious holidays. How come a religious holiday is not proselytising while a headscarf is ... go figure!
Quote for the day
"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for everything else that has been tried."
- Winston Churchill
"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for everything else that has been tried."
- Winston Churchill
Your very own snowflake
Remember the days as a kid when you used to chop pieces of paper into stars and snowflakes (along with the table cloth, the cat's tail and anything else that got in the way). When it comes to snowflakes, those of us who live in the southern hemisphere are particularly challenged at Yuletide. But help is at hand. You can create your very own snowflakes online, without having to resort to all the messy stuff, with this simple snowflake creator. I warn you - it's very addictive.
Remember the days as a kid when you used to chop pieces of paper into stars and snowflakes (along with the table cloth, the cat's tail and anything else that got in the way). When it comes to snowflakes, those of us who live in the southern hemisphere are particularly challenged at Yuletide. But help is at hand. You can create your very own snowflakes online, without having to resort to all the messy stuff, with this simple snowflake creator. I warn you - it's very addictive.
Ho, ho, ho - did you know, know, know?
Those wonderful folks at the US Census Bureau must have a mite too much time on their hands. They have compiled a whole raft of Christmas related statistics, which should provide wonderful fodder for trivia sessions around the Christmas dinner table.
For instance:
Christmas Trees, Ornaments & Gifts
$466 million : The amount the nation’s Christmas tree farmers received from tree sales in 2002.
$971 million : The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from China between January and September 2003. China was the leading country of origin for such items. Similarly, China was the leading foreign source of artificial Christmas trees shipped to the United States ($93 million worth).
$30.6 billion : Retail sales by the U.S. toy industry in 2002. Of this amount, $10.3 billion were from the sales of video games. A hefty percentage of these sales resulted from the purchase of holiday gifts.
Holiday Names
1 : The number of places around the country named “Christmas.� That unincorporated town is Christmas, Florida, which had a population of 1,162 in 2000.
Other places whose names are associated with the holiday season include North Pole, Alaska (population 1,618 in 2002); Santa Claus, Ind. (2,129); Santa Claus, Ga. (238); Noel, Mo. (1,446); and — maybe — the village of Rudolph, Wis. (415).
$219,700 : value of U.S. imports between January and September 2003 from Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Pacific Ocean, south of Hawaii. Perhaps some were “Christmas gifts from Christmas Island.�
Take it from there, Santa!!
Those wonderful folks at the US Census Bureau must have a mite too much time on their hands. They have compiled a whole raft of Christmas related statistics, which should provide wonderful fodder for trivia sessions around the Christmas dinner table.
For instance:
Christmas Trees, Ornaments & Gifts
$466 million : The amount the nation’s Christmas tree farmers received from tree sales in 2002.
$971 million : The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from China between January and September 2003. China was the leading country of origin for such items. Similarly, China was the leading foreign source of artificial Christmas trees shipped to the United States ($93 million worth).
$30.6 billion : Retail sales by the U.S. toy industry in 2002. Of this amount, $10.3 billion were from the sales of video games. A hefty percentage of these sales resulted from the purchase of holiday gifts.
Holiday Names
1 : The number of places around the country named “Christmas.� That unincorporated town is Christmas, Florida, which had a population of 1,162 in 2000.
Other places whose names are associated with the holiday season include North Pole, Alaska (population 1,618 in 2002); Santa Claus, Ind. (2,129); Santa Claus, Ga. (238); Noel, Mo. (1,446); and — maybe — the village of Rudolph, Wis. (415).
$219,700 : value of U.S. imports between January and September 2003 from Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Pacific Ocean, south of Hawaii. Perhaps some were “Christmas gifts from Christmas Island.�
Take it from there, Santa!!
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Disappearing Ice Sends A Warning For Global Climate Systems
Ice in the polar regions, Greenland and in glaciers around the world is melting at an alarming rate as global temperatures increase, and could have radical implications for the future global climate, according to an upcoming book edited by glaciologists Dr Jonathan Bamber and Dr Anthony Payne, of Bristol University.
The book "Mass Balance of the Cryosphere", written by a team of 23 scientists, examines the state of the frozen water in the world, looking at the Arctic and Antarctic regions, Greenland, glaciers and sea ice. The cryosphere comprises all the frozen water and soil on the surface of the Earth, and is an important indicator of short- and long-term climate change.
"In the Arctic, Greenland, West Antarctic and in glaciers globally, ice and snow levels are generally in retreat, and the scientific consensus that average global temperatures will continue to increase over the next century means that the risk to these already climatically sensitive areas is increasing," said Dr Bamber, speaking at the Kyoto Protocol talks in Milan.
"Many people don't realise that there is much more at risk than simply a loss of pristine wilderness. For example the ocean currents that give Europe its relatively mild climate could be disrupted by fresh water influxes from melting ice in the Arctic and the Gulf Stream may slow down or even stop."
While it may true that the ice is retreating, not all scientists are yet prepared to put it down to "global warming", partly because they believe we are still falling within the range of natural long-term temperature fluctuations. If the sea does rise significantly, however, that will be rather an academic debate.
Ice in the polar regions, Greenland and in glaciers around the world is melting at an alarming rate as global temperatures increase, and could have radical implications for the future global climate, according to an upcoming book edited by glaciologists Dr Jonathan Bamber and Dr Anthony Payne, of Bristol University.
The book "Mass Balance of the Cryosphere", written by a team of 23 scientists, examines the state of the frozen water in the world, looking at the Arctic and Antarctic regions, Greenland, glaciers and sea ice. The cryosphere comprises all the frozen water and soil on the surface of the Earth, and is an important indicator of short- and long-term climate change.
"In the Arctic, Greenland, West Antarctic and in glaciers globally, ice and snow levels are generally in retreat, and the scientific consensus that average global temperatures will continue to increase over the next century means that the risk to these already climatically sensitive areas is increasing," said Dr Bamber, speaking at the Kyoto Protocol talks in Milan.
"Many people don't realise that there is much more at risk than simply a loss of pristine wilderness. For example the ocean currents that give Europe its relatively mild climate could be disrupted by fresh water influxes from melting ice in the Arctic and the Gulf Stream may slow down or even stop."
While it may true that the ice is retreating, not all scientists are yet prepared to put it down to "global warming", partly because they believe we are still falling within the range of natural long-term temperature fluctuations. If the sea does rise significantly, however, that will be rather an academic debate.
