Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Kissinger on Merkel
Henry Kissinger will be delighted to learn of Angela Merkel’s swearing in as Germany’s first woman Prime Minister. He writes of her in the IHT: With her systematic scientist’s approach, Merkel will avoid choosing between Atlanticism and Europe or confusing sentimental moves toward Russia with grand strategy. Matter-of-fact, serious and thoughtful, she will strive to…
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Pew Survey
Dan Drezner points to a recent survey by Pew on internet habits. He notes the figures for: “the proportion of that daily population who are doing some well-known internet activities”: Email 77% Search engine 63% Get news 46% Do job-related research 29% Use instant messaging 18% Do online banking 18% Take part in chat room…
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China and the US
This week’s Economist carries a special report on China, I thought this map to be quite interesting. It details US troop deployments in countries within China’s reach. In Central Asia, the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), a security forum comprising four Central Asian states plus China and Russia, is increasingly challenging America’s military presence in the…
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University Channel
I came across this website ages ago, and meant to blog about it. It’s a great online resource for students are people interested in public policy lectures. Some great webcasts in there.
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Smoker tried to open plane door
From the desperate for a fag department: A French woman has admitted attempting to open an aeroplane door mid-flight so that she could smoke a cigarette. Sandrine Helene Sellies, 34, who has a fear of flying, had drunk alcohol and taken sleeping tablets ahead of the flight from Hong Kong to Brisbane. She was seen…
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Joe Duffy loses it
The show today was all about the Willie O’Dea photos in todays papers – but half way through Liveline Joe Duffy took a call from a member of the public, and discussed a particular case recently of a man being shot dead in Carlow. Start listening around the 36.41 mark, it’s the first time I…
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Make my day
Dick O’Brien notes the odd picture on the front of the Irish Times today. What the hell is he doing pointing a gun at someone? Was the photographer crazy for asking him, or maybe he only put the camera in the line of fire? Always point a gun at the ground, loaded or not. Interesting…
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EMPLOYMENT EQUALITY ACT, 1998
For my records: Exclusion of discrimination on particular grounds in certain employments. 37.—(1) A religious, educational or medical institution which is under the direction or control of a body established for religious purposes or whose objectives include the provision of services in an environment which promotes certain religious values shall not be taken to discriminate…
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Liz’s irrational tirade against the Church serves no useful purpose
In a predictable piece, Ronan Mullen argues that Liz O’Donnell’s speech last week in the Dail amounted to a liberal attack on the Church. After a fairly incoherent argument (even I am guilty of that sometimes) he concludes: By presenting an outdated notion of a priest-ridden society, in order to exclude the Church from consultation…
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Liz O'Donnell speech
For my own records: Liz O’Donnell: I wish to preface my remarks with a word of support for those priests who have done no wrong. They deserve our support and sympathy at this difficult time. The majority of priests are living out their Christian message in an exemplary fashion and have our support at this…
Got any book recommendations?