Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Canada's minority Liberal government is heading for defeat at the hands of the Conservatives after more than 11 years in power, a dramatic new poll is predicting. (But will it be in time to save Canada from the same-sex marriage vote?)
This Sunday is Tax Freedom Day for the average American. That's the day in 2005 they stop working for the government and start earning money for themselves.
Unfortunately, Kiwis have to wait a whole lot longer. Staples Rodway calculated that May 26 was Tax Freedom Day for New Zealand last year. They have not posted a calculation yet for 2005.
Andrea Dworkin, 58, a self-proclaimed radical feminist whose scathing writings about sexuality, and pornography in particular, made her a provocative icon of the women's movement, died April 9 at her home in Washington.
And Saul Bellow, the Nobel laureate and self-proclaimed historian of society whose fictional heroes - and whose scathing, unrelenting and darkly comic examination of their struggle for meaning - gave new immediacy to the American novel in the second half of the 20th century, died April 4 at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 89.
Friday 15th is the 250th anniversary of the publication of Samuel Johnson's dictionary. That should stir anyone who loves language.
Do we need marriage? Jennifer Roback Morse's answer: "Marriage is a naturally occurring, pre-political institution that emerges spontaneously from society. Western society is drifting toward a redefinition of marriage as a bundle of legally defined benefits bestowed by the state. As a libertarian, I find this trend regrettable. The organic view of marriage is more consistent with the libertarian vision of a society of free and responsible individuals, governed by a constitutionally limited state. The drive toward a legalistic view of marriage is part of the relentless march toward politicizing every aspect of society."
The dividing lines between work and home are blurring (eg, think SOHO and tele-commuting). Are we coming full circle? Once upon a time, in rural communities, home and work were almost indivisible. Now, work is intruding more into home. 24/7 availability by phone is one of the factors. Some companies are now doing away with desk phones completely. What are the implications? This article examines some.
The editor-in-chief of the leading US journal Science, Donald Kennedy, has complained that religious faith is stifling scientific progress. Placing himself squarely in the camp of the Enlightenment, Kennedy regards the sceptical Scottish philosopher David Hume as the patron saint of science. Now, he complains, a truly scientific outlook is in danger of disintegrating under the pressure of religious fundamentalism. He points to the spread of "intelligent design" theories in American high schools, growing scepticism about the truth of evolution, and reluctance by the Bush Administration to promote condoms to fight AIDS. The low point, he suggests, is that "certain kinds of science are now proscribed on what amount to religious grounds". Opposition to destructive embryo research is based on "what constitutes a human life: a belief held by certain religions, but not by others." It is wrong, he argues, for evangelical Christianity to stamp its own beliefs on the nation's research agenda. (Article only available by subscription.)
England and Wales have moved a step closer to legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide with the publication of a House of Lords select committee report on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill bill. Now that an election has been called for May 5, there will be no debate in Parliament, but the report suggests a debate early in the next session. Members of the committee visited Oregon, the Netherlands and Switzerland and heard from more than 140 witnesses. The were divided on whether the law should be changed, but they did recommend that a future bill should be considered by a committee of the whole house.
More than half of the newborn babies who died in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium were helped on their way by doctors, according to The Lancet. Researchers studied the death of nearly every baby under twelve months in Flanders between August 1999 and July 2000. Paediatricians told them that they had taken "end of life" decisions in more than half the cases. In most instances, this meant withholding or withdrawing treatment because they believed that the baby had no chance of survival or no chance of a "bearable future". But in 40 cases out of 253, opiate pain killers were used in doses with potentially life-shortening effects. In 17 cases, lethal doses were administered. Four-fifths of the doctors who completed a survey agreed that "the task of the physician sometimes involves the prevention of unnecessary suffering by hastening death". The report went further than any other study in exposing the degree to which infant euthanasia has become commonplace in the most liberal regions of northern Europe. In both the Netherlands and Belgium, euthanasia is legal -- but not for infants.
Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary. We are Unitarian Jihad. We will appear in public places and require people to shake hands with each other. (Sister Hand Grenade of Love suggested that we institute a terror regime of mandatory hugging, but her motion was not formally introduced because of lack of a quorum.) For the remainder of the Unitarian Jihad declaration, read here.
This Sunday is Tax Freedom Day for the average American. That's the day in 2005 they stop working for the government and start earning money for themselves.
Unfortunately, Kiwis have to wait a whole lot longer. Staples Rodway calculated that May 26 was Tax Freedom Day for New Zealand last year. They have not posted a calculation yet for 2005.
Andrea Dworkin, 58, a self-proclaimed radical feminist whose scathing writings about sexuality, and pornography in particular, made her a provocative icon of the women's movement, died April 9 at her home in Washington.
And Saul Bellow, the Nobel laureate and self-proclaimed historian of society whose fictional heroes - and whose scathing, unrelenting and darkly comic examination of their struggle for meaning - gave new immediacy to the American novel in the second half of the 20th century, died April 4 at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 89.
Friday 15th is the 250th anniversary of the publication of Samuel Johnson's dictionary. That should stir anyone who loves language.
Do we need marriage? Jennifer Roback Morse's answer: "Marriage is a naturally occurring, pre-political institution that emerges spontaneously from society. Western society is drifting toward a redefinition of marriage as a bundle of legally defined benefits bestowed by the state. As a libertarian, I find this trend regrettable. The organic view of marriage is more consistent with the libertarian vision of a society of free and responsible individuals, governed by a constitutionally limited state. The drive toward a legalistic view of marriage is part of the relentless march toward politicizing every aspect of society."
The dividing lines between work and home are blurring (eg, think SOHO and tele-commuting). Are we coming full circle? Once upon a time, in rural communities, home and work were almost indivisible. Now, work is intruding more into home. 24/7 availability by phone is one of the factors. Some companies are now doing away with desk phones completely. What are the implications? This article examines some.
The editor-in-chief of the leading US journal Science, Donald Kennedy, has complained that religious faith is stifling scientific progress. Placing himself squarely in the camp of the Enlightenment, Kennedy regards the sceptical Scottish philosopher David Hume as the patron saint of science. Now, he complains, a truly scientific outlook is in danger of disintegrating under the pressure of religious fundamentalism. He points to the spread of "intelligent design" theories in American high schools, growing scepticism about the truth of evolution, and reluctance by the Bush Administration to promote condoms to fight AIDS. The low point, he suggests, is that "certain kinds of science are now proscribed on what amount to religious grounds". Opposition to destructive embryo research is based on "what constitutes a human life: a belief held by certain religions, but not by others." It is wrong, he argues, for evangelical Christianity to stamp its own beliefs on the nation's research agenda. (Article only available by subscription.)
England and Wales have moved a step closer to legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide with the publication of a House of Lords select committee report on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill bill. Now that an election has been called for May 5, there will be no debate in Parliament, but the report suggests a debate early in the next session. Members of the committee visited Oregon, the Netherlands and Switzerland and heard from more than 140 witnesses. The were divided on whether the law should be changed, but they did recommend that a future bill should be considered by a committee of the whole house.
More than half of the newborn babies who died in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium were helped on their way by doctors, according to The Lancet. Researchers studied the death of nearly every baby under twelve months in Flanders between August 1999 and July 2000. Paediatricians told them that they had taken "end of life" decisions in more than half the cases. In most instances, this meant withholding or withdrawing treatment because they believed that the baby had no chance of survival or no chance of a "bearable future". But in 40 cases out of 253, opiate pain killers were used in doses with potentially life-shortening effects. In 17 cases, lethal doses were administered. Four-fifths of the doctors who completed a survey agreed that "the task of the physician sometimes involves the prevention of unnecessary suffering by hastening death". The report went further than any other study in exposing the degree to which infant euthanasia has become commonplace in the most liberal regions of northern Europe. In both the Netherlands and Belgium, euthanasia is legal -- but not for infants.
Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary. We are Unitarian Jihad. We will appear in public places and require people to shake hands with each other. (Sister Hand Grenade of Love suggested that we institute a terror regime of mandatory hugging, but her motion was not formally introduced because of lack of a quorum.) For the remainder of the Unitarian Jihad declaration, read here.
