Friday, September 30, 2005
Netherlands Trio Wed: In the Netherlands, a country that already allows same-sex marriage, a polygamous civil union has received official government recognition, sending shockwaves worldwide. Victor de Bruijn (46) from Roosendaal “married” both Bianca (31) and Mirjam (35) in a ceremony before a notary who duly registered their civil union," reported Paul Belien, whose article in the Brussels Journal noted that while a legal marriage between three people in the Netherlands at this stage cannot be performed, such a possibility is allowed among civil unions.
Mothers are turning the act of birth into a social occasion. Once it was the private preserve of mother and cherished newborn. Then dad was allowed to join in. Now the birth of a baby is being transformed into a truly social occasion. Attended by friends and family, "birthing parties" are becoming popular. Mothers-to-be are sending out printed invitations and even hiring photographers to record the event. The parties - which originated in the US, where maternity unit "spectator galleries" have been built - have spread to Britain, where several private and public hospitals host the events.
The Dutch government intends to expand its current euthanasia policy, setting guidelines for when doctors may end the lives of terminally ill newborns with the parents' consent, The Associated Press has learned. A letter outlining the new directives was expected to be submitted to parliament for discussion by mid-October, but the new policy will not require a change of law, Dutch Health Ministry spokeswoman Annette Dijkstra said Thursday. Proponents and opponents agree the change is doubly important because it will provide the model for how the Dutch will treat other cases in which patients are unable to say whether they want to live or die, such as the mentally retarded or elderly people who have become demented. Under the protocol, euthanasia would be permissible when a child is terminally ill with no prospect of recovery, when it is suffering great pain, when two sets of doctors agree the situation is hopeless, and when parents give their consent.
More than half of NZ schoolchildren cannot swim 100 metres and experts say the decline of swimming lessons in the curriculum is to blame. A study by Kevin Moran, from the University of Auckland, shows that 54 per cent of Year 11 students cannot manage four lengths of a standard 25m pool. Other research, from Water Safety New Zealand, suggests the problem could be worse. It says three out of four children cannot swim 200 metres - the minimum "safe standard" to get out of trouble. A lack of emphasis on swimming, poor teacher training in aquatics and the high costs of pools against a tight budget are all blamed for the dip in children's abilities - and the result is the high numbers who drown each year.
Arctic sea ice has melted to a record low this month prompting fears that the entire polar ice cap may disappear within decades during the summer period. Satellite images of the northern hemisphere's floating sea ice show that the area of ocean covered by the ice this September was the lowest ever observed by scientists. It is the fourth consecutive summer that the area covered by the sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk below even the long-term decline, which began at least as far back as the late 1970s.
While we're on the apocalyptic, a UN expert warns that global influenza pandemic could come at any time and claim anywhere between 5 million and 150 million lives, depending on steps the world takes now to control the bird flu in Asia.
Have a nice weekend!!
Mothers are turning the act of birth into a social occasion. Once it was the private preserve of mother and cherished newborn. Then dad was allowed to join in. Now the birth of a baby is being transformed into a truly social occasion. Attended by friends and family, "birthing parties" are becoming popular. Mothers-to-be are sending out printed invitations and even hiring photographers to record the event. The parties - which originated in the US, where maternity unit "spectator galleries" have been built - have spread to Britain, where several private and public hospitals host the events.
The Dutch government intends to expand its current euthanasia policy, setting guidelines for when doctors may end the lives of terminally ill newborns with the parents' consent, The Associated Press has learned. A letter outlining the new directives was expected to be submitted to parliament for discussion by mid-October, but the new policy will not require a change of law, Dutch Health Ministry spokeswoman Annette Dijkstra said Thursday. Proponents and opponents agree the change is doubly important because it will provide the model for how the Dutch will treat other cases in which patients are unable to say whether they want to live or die, such as the mentally retarded or elderly people who have become demented. Under the protocol, euthanasia would be permissible when a child is terminally ill with no prospect of recovery, when it is suffering great pain, when two sets of doctors agree the situation is hopeless, and when parents give their consent.
More than half of NZ schoolchildren cannot swim 100 metres and experts say the decline of swimming lessons in the curriculum is to blame. A study by Kevin Moran, from the University of Auckland, shows that 54 per cent of Year 11 students cannot manage four lengths of a standard 25m pool. Other research, from Water Safety New Zealand, suggests the problem could be worse. It says three out of four children cannot swim 200 metres - the minimum "safe standard" to get out of trouble. A lack of emphasis on swimming, poor teacher training in aquatics and the high costs of pools against a tight budget are all blamed for the dip in children's abilities - and the result is the high numbers who drown each year.
Arctic sea ice has melted to a record low this month prompting fears that the entire polar ice cap may disappear within decades during the summer period. Satellite images of the northern hemisphere's floating sea ice show that the area of ocean covered by the ice this September was the lowest ever observed by scientists. It is the fourth consecutive summer that the area covered by the sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk below even the long-term decline, which began at least as far back as the late 1970s.
While we're on the apocalyptic, a UN expert warns that global influenza pandemic could come at any time and claim anywhere between 5 million and 150 million lives, depending on steps the world takes now to control the bird flu in Asia.
Have a nice weekend!!
