27. desember 2002

Abortion and the slippery slope Particularly in the United States, the debate between positions describing themslves by the terms pro-choice and pro-life shows no signs of calming down. While the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land, conservatives have succeeded in undermining it by making access to abortions difficult for women. And the republican domination of the executive and legislative branches makes female rights proponents fear that the balance in the Supreme Court will be altered, eventually overturning the decision. One of the best articles ever written on the subject, in my opinion, is Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan's The Question of Abortion: A Search for Answers. It outlines the ethical problems, not afraid to shy away from hard questions, and follows the historical development of views on abortion. It is interesting to see that the supreme court reached a scientifically very defensible position, arguably using some questionable arguments. 3:01:40 PM    comment []

UFO sect will claim first cloned human baby Sources say that Clonaid, associated with a controversial UFO sect called the Realians, will announce later today that the first human clone, a baby girl, has been born. The news has been met with deep skepiticism from the scientific community, as many doubt this organisation has the resources to clone a human. Successful cloning of a number of mammals has not only revealed human cloning technically feasible, it has also revealed that the process has a high probability of defects. This is one of a number of reasons why the scientific community and lawmakers alike have been opposed to it. A spokeswoman for Clonaid says that evidence that this is indeed the first human clone will be made available to scientists 'eventually.' Update: at the press conference, the group said it "has arranged for a physicist named Michael Guillen, science correspondent for ABC News to independently verify the claim." (CNN) 1:26:41 PM    comment []

Kjell Aukrust 1920-2002 One of the most popular Norwegian writers and storytellers, Kjell Aukrust, died silently in his home Christmas Eve. He has entertained generations of Norwegians with his amusing drawings and fun writings, a man whose cult figures and stories is forever part of Norway's cultural identity. Internationally, he was best known for being the storyteller behind the most seen Norwegian movie of all time, Flåklypa Grand Prix, a puppet film made possible through the creative genius of Ivo Caprino. Some of the main 'characters' were the self-confident bird Solan and the nervous hedgehig Ludvig (picture).  This movie marked the second time the young me ever visited a movie theater, and one I will never forget. 12:24:11 PM    comment []

Hate complaint against Harry Potter A woman in Russia has complained to the police that the Harry Potter book series 'incite religious hatred.' The police are investigating. Perhaps somebody should complain that nutty fundies are inciting religious hatred against children's novels? 6:30:52 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.01.03; 04:01:46.