A small collection of articles I've found interesting this week...
A recent article in Salon diagnoses some of the problems that the GOP will have in the 2008 elections. Some very interesting statistics were cited, including an increase in the number of people disturbed by the growing gap between the rich and the poor, including a nearly 15% rise in concern among people who make over $75,000 a year. Heartening. Less heartening? 43% of Americans polled say that torture is often/sometimes justified. And 40% (down, thankfully, from 61% after 9/11) still endorse what amounts to "revenge as a guiding principle of foreign policy." And this in a 'Christian nation', with 79% affirming that "we will all be called before God at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins." (Although I suspect that if pressed, most of those 79% couldn't say with any clarity what that even means to them.) We know that Jesus cared for the poor and the helpless and exhorted us to do the same, but, as the author asks, "what would Jesus think about torture?" There doesn't seem to be any consistent ethic that cuts across issues. Is life only important when it is American/Western life? Is our morality completely selfish - a Machiavellian 'ends justifies the means' scenario? I'll be curious to see where it all goes during this next election...
Also on Salon, there is a good repository of articles about the current U.S. Attorney scandal. Mr. Rove, methinks you've gone too far.
Read before you drink: Did you know that you probably drink over 20% of your daily calories? And that those calories likely contribute nothing to your health and may actually detract from it? But on the good side, caffeine may be good for your brain, and coffee/tea were second only to water as a drink of choice. mmmmmCoffee....
Hermeneutics in Islam - How do you translate this? "The hotly debated verse states that a rebellious woman should first be admonished, then abandoned in bed and ultimately 'beaten' - the most common translation for the Arabic word 'daraba' - unless her behavior improves." Yet, the prophet also said "Do not beat your wife like you beat your camel, for you will be flogging her early in the day and taking her to bed at night." As so often in religion, the line between faith and culture is blurry, at best.
New use for the iPod: helping doctors detect heart problems.
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