Category: Ethics, Morality & Religion
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As I noted in an earlier post, there is widespread speculation in the media about the link between rising food prices and diverting food grains for the manufacture of biofuels. The Washington Post has begun a series to examine the various posssible causes that have triggered the recent world food crisis. Wednesday’s featured article takes…
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It’s not often that a book or a movie makes me cry. A few weeks ago I watched Fateless, a film that brought tears to my eyes. For quite some time afterwards I could not get over the sepia tinted images of melancholy, gloom and suffering. Even more difficult to shake off was the impression…
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With the Summer Olympics just a few months away, China is running into problems, already visible in the inaugural ceremony of the Olympic torch relay. The relay, dubbed the "The Journey of Harmony" by the Chinese government has been anything but harmonious. Several attempts have been made to extinguish the torch which is scheduled to…
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The most troublesome point in a politician’s career is where the opposition’s criticism coincides with the suspicions of one’s own party loyalists. That the narrative about Hillary and Bill Clinton emanating from both the left and the right are merging, should say something about the couple whether or not their supporters recognize it. More often…
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I was determined that my next post will not be about politics, at least not the toxic discourse that is currently passing for politics in the Democratic Party, in countless sound bites on TV News, alarmist comments by pundits and sniping among the candidates and their supporters. But Bill Clinton has spoken again and when…
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Today marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Iraq war. After nearly 4000 US soldiers dead, thousands more injured, countless Iraqis dead, disabled and displaced and Iraqi democracy a distant dream, Slate magazine asked some liberal hawks who supported the Iraqi invasion in the beginning but have changed their minds since, to explain…
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As I indicated in my last post I am worried about Barack Obama’s presidential campaign being derailed by the rhetoric of others close to him. I believe that Obama, a man of mixed racial heritage from a multi-racial (black, white, Asian) family has the perspective and the attitude to unite Americans, especially the younger generation,…
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Here.
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The Vatican has announced some new "sins" to be added to the old sixth century list of pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, wrath and sloth. The additions are more socially responsible compared to the individualistic seven deadly trangressions of yore. Some are even environmentally friendly; others grapple with new advances in science and medicine. Whether…
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In my comment on Joe’s post below, I expressed some frustration in failing to locate any official international of national document describing methods of interrogation that actually amount to torture. I searched specifically for "waterboarding." Although the Wikipedia defines it as torture, Attorney General Mukasey evaded giving an answer during his confirmation hearings by claiming…
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President Bush vetoed Saturday legislation meant to ban the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics, saying it "would take away one of the most valuable tools on the war on terror." "It is shameful that George Bush and John McCain lack the courage to ban torture," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard…
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Popular Science has a great piece this month from a reporter named Catherine Price who tried to be anonymous for a week. She took out 7 days worth of cash, tried to anonymize her web-surfing, didn’t use her credit cards or her cell phone, wore a visor and dark glasses in public, instructed her bank…
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