Friday, April 15, 2005
The government last night passed under urgency the Identity (Citizenship and Travel Documents) Bill, which changes passports and border security. The new law halves the life of a New Zealand passport to five years, though current passports can be used until they expire. It also allows passports to be refused or cancelled in cases where New Zealand's security was threatened (though this is badly defined). Also passed were tightened criteria and vetting procedures for citizenship. The Green Party, the Maori Party and Progressive MP Matt Robson opposed the bills. Mr Robson said the ministerial right to withdraw an individual's passport was an erosion of the rule of law, and extending the residence period required for citizenship was "a philosophy based on division". He also disagreed with the removal of automatic citizenship rights.
And the Charities Bill was also passed under urgency last night. The government says the right of charities to carry out advocacy has been protected, but it is still unclear whether that advocacy has to be related to the charitable purposes of the organisation.
Unemployment is down by a quarter in one year and the DPB has fallen below 100,000 for first time in a decade. Quarterly figures released today show the number of working-aged New Zealanders on the Unemployment Benefit dropped by a record 27 per cent in one year and the number of sole parents on the DPB fell below 100,000 for the first time since 1995.
"The success of the environmental movement is driven by two powerful forces — romanticism and science — that are often in opposition. The romantics identify with natural systems; the scientists study natural systems. The romantics are moralistic, rebellious against the perceived dominant power, and combative against any who appear to stray from the true path. They hate to admit mistakes or change direction. The scientists are ethicalistic, rebellious against any perceived dominant paradigm, and combative against each other. Over the next ten years, I predict, the mainstream of the environmental movement will reverse its opinion and activism in four major areas: population growth, urbanization, genetically engineered organisms, and nuclear power."
Two blows for advocates of same-sex marriage. The Tasmanian Govt has ruled out support for same-sex marriage. It has backed a Liberal Party motion calling on the House of Assembly not to support the principle.
And the Oregon Supreme Court today invalidated nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples by Multnomah County in April 2004. Justices found that Oregon counties do not have the authority to trump the state constitution, which has considered marriage to be between two people of the opposite sex since statehood began.
Roger Scruton has launched a significant new Spectator series with an investigation into the consequencs of the sexual revolution. "The condition in which we now find ourselves [sexually] is novel in many ways. Perhaps the most interesting is the enormous effort that is now devoted to overcoming or abolishing shame."
Labour approved a discussion paper that proposed legalising brother-sister sex for over-20-year-olds, according to official documents released today by National’s Law and Order spokesman, Tony Ryall. “When asked in Parliament this morning why he had approved the paper, Justice Minister Phil Goff said ‘because it was an issue’. “Official documents show that Labour’s advisers wanted to remove brother-sister sexual relationships for those over 20 from the offence of ‘incest’.Fortunately, this proposal did not make the bill,” Mr Ryall says.
In what other sphere would a 78 year old be considered the frontrunner as CEO of one of the world's largest organisations? But Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is being seen as top contender for the new Pope.
The UK’s fifth terrestrial TV channel, mocked for years as an archetype of ‘dumbing down’, is to run a major new series on big ideas that have changed the world – including Christianity, presented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Tail-out: Japan is giving its prisoners more brightly coloured clothing and bed sheets in the hopes of cheering up the mood behind bars. "We hope to stabilize the mental states of inmates by giving them warmer and brighter colours," Shigemi Tanimoto, a Justice Ministry official, said. "Colour experts told us the colours currently in use were too cold and aggressive."
And the Charities Bill was also passed under urgency last night. The government says the right of charities to carry out advocacy has been protected, but it is still unclear whether that advocacy has to be related to the charitable purposes of the organisation.
Unemployment is down by a quarter in one year and the DPB has fallen below 100,000 for first time in a decade. Quarterly figures released today show the number of working-aged New Zealanders on the Unemployment Benefit dropped by a record 27 per cent in one year and the number of sole parents on the DPB fell below 100,000 for the first time since 1995.
"The success of the environmental movement is driven by two powerful forces — romanticism and science — that are often in opposition. The romantics identify with natural systems; the scientists study natural systems. The romantics are moralistic, rebellious against the perceived dominant power, and combative against any who appear to stray from the true path. They hate to admit mistakes or change direction. The scientists are ethicalistic, rebellious against any perceived dominant paradigm, and combative against each other. Over the next ten years, I predict, the mainstream of the environmental movement will reverse its opinion and activism in four major areas: population growth, urbanization, genetically engineered organisms, and nuclear power."
Two blows for advocates of same-sex marriage. The Tasmanian Govt has ruled out support for same-sex marriage. It has backed a Liberal Party motion calling on the House of Assembly not to support the principle.
And the Oregon Supreme Court today invalidated nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples by Multnomah County in April 2004. Justices found that Oregon counties do not have the authority to trump the state constitution, which has considered marriage to be between two people of the opposite sex since statehood began.
Roger Scruton has launched a significant new Spectator series with an investigation into the consequencs of the sexual revolution. "The condition in which we now find ourselves [sexually] is novel in many ways. Perhaps the most interesting is the enormous effort that is now devoted to overcoming or abolishing shame."
Labour approved a discussion paper that proposed legalising brother-sister sex for over-20-year-olds, according to official documents released today by National’s Law and Order spokesman, Tony Ryall. “When asked in Parliament this morning why he had approved the paper, Justice Minister Phil Goff said ‘because it was an issue’. “Official documents show that Labour’s advisers wanted to remove brother-sister sexual relationships for those over 20 from the offence of ‘incest’.Fortunately, this proposal did not make the bill,” Mr Ryall says.
In what other sphere would a 78 year old be considered the frontrunner as CEO of one of the world's largest organisations? But Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is being seen as top contender for the new Pope.
The UK’s fifth terrestrial TV channel, mocked for years as an archetype of ‘dumbing down’, is to run a major new series on big ideas that have changed the world – including Christianity, presented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Tail-out: Japan is giving its prisoners more brightly coloured clothing and bed sheets in the hopes of cheering up the mood behind bars. "We hope to stabilize the mental states of inmates by giving them warmer and brighter colours," Shigemi Tanimoto, a Justice Ministry official, said. "Colour experts told us the colours currently in use were too cold and aggressive."
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Today's blog reinforces the contention that ultimately culture and society values all have religion at their heart.
But first: New Zealand’s trading account with the rest of the world may be in record deficit, but there is no tone of concern in Treasury’s latest advice to Ministers. In its monthly economic update it told Ministers the current account deficit – at a bonerattling $9.4 billion, or 6.4% of GDP – ‘was mainly driven by profits of foreign owned firms in New Zealand being greater than profits of New Zealand owned firms offshore’. Well that’s alright then.
The Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin, is fighting to stave off the collapse of his 10-month-old minority Liberal government amid a financial corruption scandal described by some commentators as the worst in the country's history. The crisis worsened when one of Mr Martin's parliamentary members defected to become an independent. The main opposition party, the Conservatives, is now drawing greater support and its leader, Stephen Harper, has been huddling with advisers all this week to consider forcing a snap election.
A new report on the religious values of Generation Y has been made by Reboot, a US Jewish group that is examining generational issues. Reboot's study, "OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era," is based on a survey last year of 1,385 persons ages 18 to 25. Central is the theme that young Americans, raised in a world of choice, take a "mix and match" approach to religion.
The Archbishop of Canterbury (the first to attend a pope's funeral) has signalled that the rift between Anglicans and Catholics stemming from the Reformation could finally be healed, following the reconciliation between the churches during the reign of John Paul II.
And the Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised the UK Government's welfare-to-work programme and the emphasis on school testing for undermining the part parents are able to play in their children's upbringing. Dr Rowan Williams voiced his concerns that parenting skills are being lost under the pressures of modern society and the drive for economic productivity. He also attacked the consumer society's sexualisation of childhood and called on parents to become more involved in the development of their children's lives.
The Washington Times says the current secular assault on religion comes from a network of organizations that shares logistics, troops, board members and funding sources and includes radical feminists, humanists, atheists and liberal Jewish and Christian groups. Four organizations furnish most of the leadership. The oldest and best-known is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The others are Americans United for Separation of Church and State, People for the American Way (PFAW) and the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF).
France's parliament has approved a law that will allow terminally ill patients to opt for death instead of further treatment, but which supporters say stops short of permitting euthanasia.
And a bill to allow terminally ill Californians to end their lives with lethal prescriptions cleared its first legislative hurdle on Tuesday, amid controversy over privacy issues and potential abuse. The 5-4 vote in the Assembly Judiciary Committee puts California a step closer to becoming the second state in the nation, after Oregon, to allow doctor-assisted suicide.
Ron Sider has been a burr in the ethical saddle of the evangelical world for decades. His 1977 book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, took fellow believers to task for materialism in the face of desperate global needs. Sider, who is professor of theology, holistic ministry, and public policy at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has just released a new jeremiad: The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience (Baker Books, 2005). Sider says the heart of the matter is the scandalous failure to live what we preach. "The tragedy is that poll after poll by Gallup and Barna show that evangelicals live just like the world. Contrast that with what the New Testament says about what happens when people come to living faith in Christ. There's supposed to be radical transformation in the power of the Holy Spirit. The disconnect between our biblical beliefs and our practice is just, I think, heart-rending."
Tail-out: A talking Jesus doll is due to go on sale in May, along with versions of Moses, the Virgin Mary and David, as a teddy bear maker tries to find a market with churches and religious families. The foot-tall Jesus doll will be able to recite five Biblical verses at the push of button on its back, while the Moses doll will recite the Ten Commandments. The Mary doll will recite a long Bible verse.
But first: New Zealand’s trading account with the rest of the world may be in record deficit, but there is no tone of concern in Treasury’s latest advice to Ministers. In its monthly economic update it told Ministers the current account deficit – at a bonerattling $9.4 billion, or 6.4% of GDP – ‘was mainly driven by profits of foreign owned firms in New Zealand being greater than profits of New Zealand owned firms offshore’. Well that’s alright then.
The Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin, is fighting to stave off the collapse of his 10-month-old minority Liberal government amid a financial corruption scandal described by some commentators as the worst in the country's history. The crisis worsened when one of Mr Martin's parliamentary members defected to become an independent. The main opposition party, the Conservatives, is now drawing greater support and its leader, Stephen Harper, has been huddling with advisers all this week to consider forcing a snap election.
A new report on the religious values of Generation Y has been made by Reboot, a US Jewish group that is examining generational issues. Reboot's study, "OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era," is based on a survey last year of 1,385 persons ages 18 to 25. Central is the theme that young Americans, raised in a world of choice, take a "mix and match" approach to religion.
The Archbishop of Canterbury (the first to attend a pope's funeral) has signalled that the rift between Anglicans and Catholics stemming from the Reformation could finally be healed, following the reconciliation between the churches during the reign of John Paul II.
And the Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised the UK Government's welfare-to-work programme and the emphasis on school testing for undermining the part parents are able to play in their children's upbringing. Dr Rowan Williams voiced his concerns that parenting skills are being lost under the pressures of modern society and the drive for economic productivity. He also attacked the consumer society's sexualisation of childhood and called on parents to become more involved in the development of their children's lives.
The Washington Times says the current secular assault on religion comes from a network of organizations that shares logistics, troops, board members and funding sources and includes radical feminists, humanists, atheists and liberal Jewish and Christian groups. Four organizations furnish most of the leadership. The oldest and best-known is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The others are Americans United for Separation of Church and State, People for the American Way (PFAW) and the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF).
France's parliament has approved a law that will allow terminally ill patients to opt for death instead of further treatment, but which supporters say stops short of permitting euthanasia.
And a bill to allow terminally ill Californians to end their lives with lethal prescriptions cleared its first legislative hurdle on Tuesday, amid controversy over privacy issues and potential abuse. The 5-4 vote in the Assembly Judiciary Committee puts California a step closer to becoming the second state in the nation, after Oregon, to allow doctor-assisted suicide.
Ron Sider has been a burr in the ethical saddle of the evangelical world for decades. His 1977 book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, took fellow believers to task for materialism in the face of desperate global needs. Sider, who is professor of theology, holistic ministry, and public policy at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has just released a new jeremiad: The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience (Baker Books, 2005). Sider says the heart of the matter is the scandalous failure to live what we preach. "The tragedy is that poll after poll by Gallup and Barna show that evangelicals live just like the world. Contrast that with what the New Testament says about what happens when people come to living faith in Christ. There's supposed to be radical transformation in the power of the Holy Spirit. The disconnect between our biblical beliefs and our practice is just, I think, heart-rending."
Tail-out: A talking Jesus doll is due to go on sale in May, along with versions of Moses, the Virgin Mary and David, as a teddy bear maker tries to find a market with churches and religious families. The foot-tall Jesus doll will be able to recite five Biblical verses at the push of button on its back, while the Moses doll will recite the Ten Commandments. The Mary doll will recite a long Bible verse.
The new portrait for NZ Embassies
The Litany of Helen Clark
On herself: "I am a victim of my own success as a popular and confident Prime Minister". (Here)
On John Tamihere: "I am capable of infinite forgiveness" (Here)
On the role of Civil Government: "The Government's role is whatever the government defines it to be." (Here)
Most High, Excellent and August Prime Minister, we your minions beseech you to hear us
We hear and Obey, Wise Leader
Oh Lady of Victories, Defender of Social Justice, and Imperatrix of Welfare
We beseech Thee to hear us, Wise Leader
Popular and Competent One, we your minions praise your mercy
Just and Wise is the Leader, and great in mercy
Prime Minister, elect of the Trade Union Congress, the Workers acknowledge Thee
The Mother of Annual Leave
Prime Minister, Welfare beneficiaries and minorities Praise Thee
The Mother of Human Rights
Let us pray together to Our Lady, Our Wise Mother, who is infinite in forgiveness, that our sins against the Party, and each other, and the environment may be forgiven.
Beloved Mother,
Let us acknowledge our faults, that we have worked hard and earned money, that we desire even a good education for these our children. Forgive us, O popular and competent One, for questioning Thy ominscience, and the eternal Dominion of thy Party
We humbly accept thy Goodness, and the Mercy of Thy Government
We confess that we have been negligent in the defence of Human Rights
Spare us, Prime Minister
We confess that we have failed to uphold the ideals of Social Justice, and have knuckled under to the Hegemony of European-ness and Heterosexist Opression
Spare thy Minions, Merciful Helen
Our Leader, who is great in mercy and infinite in forgiveness, who desireth not the death of Him who has unpopular hegemonic opinions, but that he return from his conservative wickedness and repent his iniquity, forgive us. Let us pray.
Our Mother, who is in Helengrad
Great is your Competence
Thy Socialist utopia come
Thy Imperial Will be done
In New Zealand, even as it is in Sweden
Give us this day our welfare cheques,
Forgive us our sins against diversity
Even as we tolerate the alternative lifestyles of our neigbours
And Lead us this day not into common sense
But deliver us from Imperialism.
For thine is the Republic, and the power, and the credit,
Forever and ever,
Amen.
Now unto She who is able to make us into a Banana republic, be respect and mana and tax-payer funded junkets to Sweden and Ministerial limos forever and ever,
and Go, in the Name of the Trinity, Tolerance, Diversity and Inclusion, reigning forever and ever with the Unions, Stonewall and the Glorious Labour Party, in eternal and perpetual Dominion, ever increasing over every Sphere.
Glory Be to the Leader, and to the Finance Minister, and to Heather Simpson, Now and Forever
Amen.
(acknowledgement to Home Throne & Altar)
The Litany of Helen Clark
On herself: "I am a victim of my own success as a popular and confident Prime Minister". (Here)
On John Tamihere: "I am capable of infinite forgiveness" (Here)
On the role of Civil Government: "The Government's role is whatever the government defines it to be." (Here)
Most High, Excellent and August Prime Minister, we your minions beseech you to hear us
We hear and Obey, Wise Leader
Oh Lady of Victories, Defender of Social Justice, and Imperatrix of Welfare
We beseech Thee to hear us, Wise Leader
Popular and Competent One, we your minions praise your mercy
Just and Wise is the Leader, and great in mercy
Prime Minister, elect of the Trade Union Congress, the Workers acknowledge Thee
The Mother of Annual Leave
Prime Minister, Welfare beneficiaries and minorities Praise Thee
The Mother of Human Rights
Let us pray together to Our Lady, Our Wise Mother, who is infinite in forgiveness, that our sins against the Party, and each other, and the environment may be forgiven.
Beloved Mother,
Let us acknowledge our faults, that we have worked hard and earned money, that we desire even a good education for these our children. Forgive us, O popular and competent One, for questioning Thy ominscience, and the eternal Dominion of thy Party
We humbly accept thy Goodness, and the Mercy of Thy Government
We confess that we have been negligent in the defence of Human Rights
Spare us, Prime Minister
We confess that we have failed to uphold the ideals of Social Justice, and have knuckled under to the Hegemony of European-ness and Heterosexist Opression
Spare thy Minions, Merciful Helen
Our Leader, who is great in mercy and infinite in forgiveness, who desireth not the death of Him who has unpopular hegemonic opinions, but that he return from his conservative wickedness and repent his iniquity, forgive us. Let us pray.
Our Mother, who is in Helengrad
Great is your Competence
Thy Socialist utopia come
Thy Imperial Will be done
In New Zealand, even as it is in Sweden
Give us this day our welfare cheques,
Forgive us our sins against diversity
Even as we tolerate the alternative lifestyles of our neigbours
And Lead us this day not into common sense
But deliver us from Imperialism.
For thine is the Republic, and the power, and the credit,
Forever and ever,
Amen.
Now unto She who is able to make us into a Banana republic, be respect and mana and tax-payer funded junkets to Sweden and Ministerial limos forever and ever,
and Go, in the Name of the Trinity, Tolerance, Diversity and Inclusion, reigning forever and ever with the Unions, Stonewall and the Glorious Labour Party, in eternal and perpetual Dominion, ever increasing over every Sphere.
Glory Be to the Leader, and to the Finance Minister, and to Heather Simpson, Now and Forever
Amen.
(acknowledgement to Home Throne & Altar)
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.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Plans to outlaw all faith hate crimes in the UK were finally dropped today when the Government backed down in order to save its flagship crime legislation from defeat. The measure has had to be axed because otherwise the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill would have been lost to the general election.
The Families Commission wants to hear about the reality of family life as it launches a major campaign to gather information from families with children. Its first major study, "What makes your family tick?" aims to find out from families about their pressure points, problems, and the choices they make for the sake of family life. It is also asking about what makes families strong.
The NZ Herald says Peter Dunne's bill to change the name of Waitangi Day to NZ Day is a waste of time. It won't change a thing.
Three out of four New Zealanders want judges given the power to start cracking down on the parents of wayward children.
US commentator Dennis Prager, a Jewish scholar, has been writing a remarkable series of articles on Judeo-Christian values and their importance. They are virtually required reading to gain an understanding behind a lot of what is happening socially in today's world.
"When you walk down the street in 2050, it will be rare to see children. You'll be seeing older people," Ann Harding, director of Australia's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, says. Buildings designed with children in mind, such as schools and houses, will have to be converted to suit the needs of an ageing population.
Meanwhile, over the next two decades the total population of the EU25 is expected to increase by more than 13 million inhabitants, from 456.8 million on 1 January 2004 to 470.1 million on 1 January 2025. Growth will be mainly due to net migration, since total deaths in the EU25 will outnumber total births from 2010.
The South African party that introduced apartheid and enforced racial segregation for 50 years has voted itself out of existence after a series of stinging electoral defeats.
The price of gold will soon be trading around US$500 an ounce because of a weak greenback and high demand for jewellery, the world’s No 2 gold miner, AngloGold Ashanti, says. Gold, now trading at US$426 an ounce, last topped US$500 in 1987. (Note: that was just prior to the 1988 crash.)
Time Magazine's annual "Time 100" list has swung away from a focus on political power. "Last year’s list was more about political power," Time managing editor Jim Kelly told Reuters. "This year’s is more about moral influence."
A Chinese Roman Catholic Bishop and a Priest were arrested just before China officially sent condolences to the Vatican for the death of the Pope. This has been seen as yet another sign of China’s "contradictory attitude towards religion". Bishop Yao Liang was arrested last Thursday and another priest, Father Wang Jinling, was arrested on Friday. However, some hopes of a rapprochement between China and the Vatican as China said it was "willing to ameliorate relations with the Vatican". Currently an estimated 10 million Roman Catholics worship illegally outside of China’s state-recognised Catholic church, which looks to Beijing for its authority. The Chinese statement came in the same week that the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong said that if Beijing would "guarantee religious freedoms" the Vatican would drop diplomatic ties with Taiwan, China’s rival.
The Pope on women: "The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way, … even in the situations of social discrimination in which she may find herself. This awareness and this fundamental vocation speak to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and this makes them 'strong' and strengthens their vocation. Thus the 'perfect woman' (Proverbs 31:10) becomes an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for other people, who perceive the great energies of her spirit. These 'perfect women' are owed much by their families, and sometimes by whole nations." ~ Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women), 1988
The hundreds of thousands of young people who swelled the crowds in Rome to honour Pope John Paul II call for a re-think of assumptions about the relevance of religion to adolescents. American sociologist Christian Smith has addressed this question in a recent book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, co-authored with Melinda Lundquist Denton and based on data from the national Study of Youth and Religion (2001 to 2005). In an interview with the Ethics and Public Policy Centre, Smith said that most 13 to 17-year-olds, far from being antagonistic to traditional religion, are quite happy to go with whatever they are raised to believe and "have a very benign attitude toward religion". They are also quite moralistic, but without being able to explain why certain things are right or wrong.
Mary Eberstadt's recent book, Home-Alone America, indicates a common factor among American teen killers: parental deprivation. The parents of the Columbine killers all worked, and the boys were left to their own devices. Eberstadt traces the home-alone factor in other youthful killers, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. ~ Home-Alone America, Ch 3: The Furious Child Problem
The public health impact of risky sexual behaviour in the United States is three times higher than in other developed nations, according to research by the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says risky sex habits resulted in nearly 30,000 deaths and about 20 million adverse health consequences in a single year. The majority of deaths involved men with HIV, while the majority of adverse health consequences were among women.
Personal values and parental influence rather than fear of consequences lead teenagers to delay sexual activity, a team from three American universities has found. The researchers led by Lynn Blinn-Pike looked at data from 568 adolescents who identified themselves as virgins when surveyed at 20 different Missouri schools in 1997 and who responded to a follow-up survey in 1999. ~ Journal of Adolescent Research 19, 2004
Tasmania, the state that was the last to lift bans on homosexuality could ironically be the first to debate proposed same-sex marriage laws. Tasmanian Greens Nick McKim plans to introduce same-sex marriage legislation to State Parliament.
Pro-family spokesmen are still reacting to last week's comments from a San Francisco judge that "no rational reason exists" for limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman. They say Judge Richard Kramer's remarks reflect much about the state of the country's judiciary. In his ruling, the San Francisco County Superior Court judge effectively struck down California's defense of marriage law, saying the state's "protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional."
The United States Golf Association announced a new policy March 21 under which "transgender athletes will be eligible to compete two years after having gender reassignment surgery." According to the USGA, both the International Olympic Committee and the Ladies Golf Union (in England) have also adopted policies that permit "female athletes who have undergone gender reassignment" to compete in their women's competitions.
Tail-out: "Candles Recalled Because of Flame Risk" - Washington Post headline
The Families Commission wants to hear about the reality of family life as it launches a major campaign to gather information from families with children. Its first major study, "What makes your family tick?" aims to find out from families about their pressure points, problems, and the choices they make for the sake of family life. It is also asking about what makes families strong.
The NZ Herald says Peter Dunne's bill to change the name of Waitangi Day to NZ Day is a waste of time. It won't change a thing.
Three out of four New Zealanders want judges given the power to start cracking down on the parents of wayward children.
US commentator Dennis Prager, a Jewish scholar, has been writing a remarkable series of articles on Judeo-Christian values and their importance. They are virtually required reading to gain an understanding behind a lot of what is happening socially in today's world.
"When you walk down the street in 2050, it will be rare to see children. You'll be seeing older people," Ann Harding, director of Australia's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, says. Buildings designed with children in mind, such as schools and houses, will have to be converted to suit the needs of an ageing population.
Meanwhile, over the next two decades the total population of the EU25 is expected to increase by more than 13 million inhabitants, from 456.8 million on 1 January 2004 to 470.1 million on 1 January 2025. Growth will be mainly due to net migration, since total deaths in the EU25 will outnumber total births from 2010.
The South African party that introduced apartheid and enforced racial segregation for 50 years has voted itself out of existence after a series of stinging electoral defeats.
The price of gold will soon be trading around US$500 an ounce because of a weak greenback and high demand for jewellery, the world’s No 2 gold miner, AngloGold Ashanti, says. Gold, now trading at US$426 an ounce, last topped US$500 in 1987. (Note: that was just prior to the 1988 crash.)
Time Magazine's annual "Time 100" list has swung away from a focus on political power. "Last year’s list was more about political power," Time managing editor Jim Kelly told Reuters. "This year’s is more about moral influence."
A Chinese Roman Catholic Bishop and a Priest were arrested just before China officially sent condolences to the Vatican for the death of the Pope. This has been seen as yet another sign of China’s "contradictory attitude towards religion". Bishop Yao Liang was arrested last Thursday and another priest, Father Wang Jinling, was arrested on Friday. However, some hopes of a rapprochement between China and the Vatican as China said it was "willing to ameliorate relations with the Vatican". Currently an estimated 10 million Roman Catholics worship illegally outside of China’s state-recognised Catholic church, which looks to Beijing for its authority. The Chinese statement came in the same week that the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong said that if Beijing would "guarantee religious freedoms" the Vatican would drop diplomatic ties with Taiwan, China’s rival.
The Pope on women: "The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way, … even in the situations of social discrimination in which she may find herself. This awareness and this fundamental vocation speak to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and this makes them 'strong' and strengthens their vocation. Thus the 'perfect woman' (Proverbs 31:10) becomes an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for other people, who perceive the great energies of her spirit. These 'perfect women' are owed much by their families, and sometimes by whole nations." ~ Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women), 1988
The hundreds of thousands of young people who swelled the crowds in Rome to honour Pope John Paul II call for a re-think of assumptions about the relevance of religion to adolescents. American sociologist Christian Smith has addressed this question in a recent book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, co-authored with Melinda Lundquist Denton and based on data from the national Study of Youth and Religion (2001 to 2005). In an interview with the Ethics and Public Policy Centre, Smith said that most 13 to 17-year-olds, far from being antagonistic to traditional religion, are quite happy to go with whatever they are raised to believe and "have a very benign attitude toward religion". They are also quite moralistic, but without being able to explain why certain things are right or wrong.
Mary Eberstadt's recent book, Home-Alone America, indicates a common factor among American teen killers: parental deprivation. The parents of the Columbine killers all worked, and the boys were left to their own devices. Eberstadt traces the home-alone factor in other youthful killers, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. ~ Home-Alone America, Ch 3: The Furious Child Problem
The public health impact of risky sexual behaviour in the United States is three times higher than in other developed nations, according to research by the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says risky sex habits resulted in nearly 30,000 deaths and about 20 million adverse health consequences in a single year. The majority of deaths involved men with HIV, while the majority of adverse health consequences were among women.
Personal values and parental influence rather than fear of consequences lead teenagers to delay sexual activity, a team from three American universities has found. The researchers led by Lynn Blinn-Pike looked at data from 568 adolescents who identified themselves as virgins when surveyed at 20 different Missouri schools in 1997 and who responded to a follow-up survey in 1999. ~ Journal of Adolescent Research 19, 2004
Tasmania, the state that was the last to lift bans on homosexuality could ironically be the first to debate proposed same-sex marriage laws. Tasmanian Greens Nick McKim plans to introduce same-sex marriage legislation to State Parliament.
Pro-family spokesmen are still reacting to last week's comments from a San Francisco judge that "no rational reason exists" for limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman. They say Judge Richard Kramer's remarks reflect much about the state of the country's judiciary. In his ruling, the San Francisco County Superior Court judge effectively struck down California's defense of marriage law, saying the state's "protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional."
The United States Golf Association announced a new policy March 21 under which "transgender athletes will be eligible to compete two years after having gender reassignment surgery." According to the USGA, both the International Olympic Committee and the Ladies Golf Union (in England) have also adopted policies that permit "female athletes who have undergone gender reassignment" to compete in their women's competitions.
Tail-out: "Candles Recalled Because of Flame Risk" - Washington Post headline
