Canary in the Mine

An education trouble-shooter says schools have become complex businesses and are too complicated for parents to run. Crown-appointed schools manager Peter Macdonald, the statutory manager of Aranui High, is calling for a review of Tomorrow's Schools, the policy implemented in 1989 which handed governance of schools to elected boards of trustees. [Yet another thing that parents can't be trusted with when it comes to their children's education.]

The National Party has stolen a march on its rivals and shown itself to be the most IT-savvy party in New Zealand. It's established a streaming web channel called National TV, which can be used by voters to view National Party programmes, commercials and video speeches.

The Government clearly disagrees with the United States about the size of the problem confronting the two countries voiced by outgoing ambassador Charles Swindells. In response, Prime Minister Helen Clark barely disguised her annoyance that New Zealand's contribution to the war on terror had not been recognised in his farewell speech. Neither she nor Foreign Minister Phil Goff accepted critical comments made by Mr Swindells on Monday. He suggested that since New Zealand's anti-nuclear legislation in the 1980s the relationship had deteriorated to a point where trust had been eroded and called for "comprehensive dialogue" to address the problems. But Helen Clark told reporters in Wellington: "I don't think the relationship is in bad shape at all." [There is a term for when one partner in a relationship refuses to recognise that the relationship has problems. Counsellors normally consider that "denial" is a serious problem for the person exhibiting it.]

Immigration authorities have moved to cancel the visa of American expatriate book seller Jim Peron. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters in March used parliamentary privilege to accuse Mr Peron, an American who came to New Zealand via South Africa, of being a paedophile. It is understood Mr Peron, who runs an Auckland bookstore, holds a three-year temporary business visa which expires in December.

Is this Logos II (see Bible, John ch1)? The scientist whose company first mapped the human genome has formed a company to create life. "We are in an era of rapid advances in science and are beginning the transition from being able to not only read genetic code, but are now moving to the early stages of being able to write the code," said J. Craig Venter. The initial goal of Synthetic Genomics will be to manufacture organisms which perform specific functions. Man-made genes will be the "design components of the future", Venter says. A number of ethical and safety issues hang over the notion of synthetic life, but Venter appears to believe that if the work benefits mankind and is performed in a responsible manner, it would be acceptable.

In an historic decision, the British Medical Association has voted not to oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia. Delegates at the BMA's annual conference agreed that legal sanctions were "primarily a matter for society and for Parliament". The move is sure to boost the chances of a private bill introduced by Lord Joffe last year to legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. However the BMA still supports the right of conscientious objectors so that doctors who oppose euthanasia would be able to abide by their principles. [This is a worry. When you can't trust your doctor to uphold the sanctity of your life, who can you trust?]

Tail-out: When is a twin not a twin? Answer: when she is born 13 years after her two sisters. Two sisters? This tail of a frozen embryo and delayed implantation gets more and more complicated.