All entries by this author

A purely artificial code

Mar 19th, 2009 10:46 am | By

The other day we had a bit of Bernard Williams on moral relativism; today we get the musings of Bertie Wooster.

Wooster has been caught in apparent flagrante delicto with Pauline Stoker by her father, who dislikes him and thinks Pauline is in love with him.

“It was enough to give any parent the jitters, and I was not surprised that his demeanour was that of stout Cortez staring at the Pacific. A fellow with fifty millions in his kick doesn’t have to wear the mask. If he wants to give any selected bloke a nasty look, he gives him a nasty look. He was giving me one now…

Fortunately, the thing did not go beyond looks. Say what … Read the rest



Everybody don’t like the pope

Mar 18th, 2009 7:55 pm | By

A roundup of replies to the pope.

The French foreign minister:

We consider that such comments are a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect human life.”

German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said in a joint statement:

Condoms save lives, in Europe as well as on other continents. Modern assistance to the developing world today must make access to family planning available to the poorest of the poor – especially the use of condoms. Anything else would be irresponsible.

Dutch Development Minister Bert Koenders said it was “extremely harmful and very serious” that the Pope was “forbidding people to protect themselves”.

“There is an enormous stigma surrounding the subject of Aids

Read the rest


Darth Ratzinger

Mar 18th, 2009 4:02 pm | By

The previous pope was evil too.

In September 1990 he visited the town of Mwanza, in northern Tanzania, and gave a speech.

Tanzania, Uganda and the other countries surrounding Lake Victoria were then at the epicentre of HIV/AIDS, which was beginning its race down Africa’s highways to devastate every corner of the continent. Some nearby villages consisted only of the very old and very young, while rows and rows of wooden crosses marked the graves of others.

So the pope did his bit to help out in this nightmare situation.

He told his audience that condoms, then internationally accepted as the only real way to curtail the spread of the disease, especially in the developing world, were a sin

Read the rest


Egypt, Pakistan Push Resolution Curbing Speech *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

Pakistan recently circulated a resolution ‘Combating Defamation of Religions’ to UN diplomats in Geneva.… Read the rest



Bible Only Way to Prevent AIDS, Says Pope *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

Experts recommend latex instead.… Read the rest



An Epidemiologist Rebukes the Pope *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

Denying the fact that condom use reduces the spread of AIDS makes the pope seem either ignorant or malicious.… Read the rest



The Pope’s Horrific Ignorance *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

The ruthless cleric’s ‘teaching’ takes no account of women whose husbands are infected.… Read the rest



Pope JP Sentenced Millions of Africans to Death *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

In one afternoon, the Vatican destroyed more than a decade of patient campaigning for condom use.… Read the rest



France Rebukes Pope Over Condom Issue *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

‘We consider that such comments are a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect human life.’… Read the rest



Egyptian Women Learn to Fight Back *

Mar 18th, 2009 | Filed by

Sexual harassment is nearly universal in Egypt, and always blamed on the woman.… Read the rest



Bad pope

Mar 18th, 2009 10:56 am | By

Bonnie Erbe points out the largest flaw in the pope’s ‘horrifically ignorant statement’:

All the pontiff need do to acquire a more educated view of AIDS in Africa is to read the widespread literature about women and how they acquire the disease. The percentage of female AIDS patients who are prostitutes, or drug addicts, is dwarfed by the percentage who are married women living upstanding lives in their communities. The Pope advised them, according to the Reuters news agency, to exhibit, “correct behavior regarding one’s body.” Very helpful! That advice is completely useless to the typical “woman” in Africa who contracts the disease. Her profile is that of a teenage virgin sold into marriage against her will and “betrothed”

Read the rest


Judge Says: Don’t Call it ‘Honour’ *

Mar 17th, 2009 | Filed by

A woman set fire to her child in attempt to incriminate her brother’s wife, who had escaped.… Read the rest



How Do They Justify This Outrage? *

Mar 17th, 2009 | Filed by

The bonuses are linked to performance; the performance wrecked the global economy; what bonus is owed?… Read the rest



AIG, Where Taxpayers’ Dollars Go to Die *

Mar 17th, 2009 | Filed by

The geniuses bet more than double AIG’s value that defaults would not become problematic.… Read the rest



Our Eyes Can Deceive Us *

Mar 17th, 2009 | Filed by

Eyewitness evidence should be treated as trace evidence, subject to contamination, deterioration and corruption.… Read the rest



Russell Blackford on Human Rights *

Mar 17th, 2009 | Filed by

Freedom of speech is the most important freedom of all and should not be abridged without very powerful reasons.… Read the rest



Sibling rivalry

Mar 17th, 2009 11:49 am | By

Is there no limit?

A senior judge has called for an end to the use of the phrase “honour killings” to describe what is “in reality sordid, criminal behaviour”…The judge had heard that a mother had set fire to one of her three children and tried to burn down the house where they lived in an attempt to incriminate her sister-in-law. The sister-in-law “presented a problem to the family” and had fled the home after she had been beaten and her first child murdered by her husband, the mother’s brother.

So let me get this straight – a guy beats his wife and murders their child so she runs away – so the guy’s sister sets fire to her Read the rest



Vatican Backpedals on Brazil *

Mar 16th, 2009 | Filed by

Prelate, writing in Vatican newspaper, urges respect for the Catholic doctors.… Read the rest



‘Chastity Squad’ Thug Sentenced to 4 Years *

Mar 16th, 2009 | Filed by

He was hired to assault and intimidate a woman who ‘defaulted’ on the proper haredi way of life.… Read the rest



‘Bullying and Intimidation’ by Secular Groups *

Mar 16th, 2009 | Filed by

‘Modern liberalism has strong totalitarian tendencies,’ says Catholic archbishop of Sydney.… Read the rest