Death for sale is a step into the dark

Whatever you may think of the euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke, you have to admire his progressive use of technology. Just the other day he said he was encrypting emails to avoid government surveillance. And his advice on how to buy lethal poisons in Mexico and manufacture a lethal barbiturate ... would be impossible without the internet ... more.

The Sydney Morning Herald - 9 May 2007

It's time for a ceasefire and some talks in the war on obesity

We are putting a lot of heat and not much light on overweight children. Metaphorically speaking, war can be pretty exciting. Presumably that's why everywhere you look these days it's being invoked against some social ill. The war on drugs was a real doozy ... more.

The Age - 9 May 2007

Australia should press the world to ban cluster munitions

In February, 49 Governments met in Oslo, Norway, to discuss the development of an international treaty to ban cluster munitions. At the end of the meeting, 46 of the nations agreed to support a proposed treaty calling for a ban on cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians ... more.

The Age - 8 May 2007

Rage, rage against the dimming of the light

Global warming advocates frequently claim that the way for society to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is for individuals to make sacrifices to their lifestyle in the name of reducing their carbon footprint. Thus people are encouraged to feel guilty about everyday components of their life ... more.

The Australian - 9 May 2007

Takeovers and ethics: integrity goes a long way

As the seers study the entrails of the stalled takeover bid for Qantas, perhaps some attention will be paid to a range of ethical questions that arise not just in relation to this bid but more generally when private equity comes a callin'. There is nothing intrinsically sinister about takeover bids driven by private equity funds ... more.

You can also read a version of this article by Simon Longstaff here.

The Sydney Morning Herald - 8 May 2007

What's wrong with a TV induced coma?

Those people who disapprove of television, and thus don�t watch it, accuse the medium of softening the brain. It is a passive medium, they say, which requires no mental effort, and which lures people away from engaging in stimulating, assertive pastimes ... more.

Spiked Online - 4 May 2007

Is it ethical to vote?

To modify an old anarchist phrase, �It doesn�t matter who you vote for, humans always get in�. All this nonsense about �power to the people� simply disenfranchises the animals, the birds, the sun and the wind. �Power to the planet� should be our motto ... more.

Spiked Online - 3 May 2007

Browne and the new morality of 'outing'

In the past, tabloids outed gay people in order to shame them; now they out gay people to show there�s nothing wrong with being gay. Lord Browne, the former chief executive of British Petroleum (BP), has been labelled a �silly old fuel� by a newspaper ... more.

Spiked Online - 3 May 2007

What next? A Committee on Un-Scientific Activity?

The experts demanding that a film on climate change be 'corrected' before it is released on DVD are behaving more like Stalinists than scientists. A group of scientists and science communicators has written an open letter to WAG, a TV production company, insisting that it make changes to its film ... more.

Spiked Online - 1 May 2007

Report highlights effect of repeat deployments on US soldiers

A mental health assessment released by the Pentagon late last week showed an increasing strain placed on US troops in Iraq � especially those with multiple deployments � and raised concern among the top commanders in Iraq about the implementation of military ethics on the battlefield ... more.

Christian Science Monitor - 8 May 2007

How do you tell when a firm is really green?

The greening of big business could be one of the most meaningful economic shifts of the century, but it can be hard to tell how big a change a corporation is making when it claims to be Earth-friendly ... more.

Christian Science Monitor - 7 May 2007

The battle for Turkey's soul

If Turks have to choose, democracy is more important than secularism. At a time when Muslim fundamentalism seems to be on the rise all around the world, the sight of somewhere between half a million and a million people marching through Istanbul in defence of secularism is a remarkable one ... more.

The Economis - 3 May 2007

America's tragedy

In the aftermath of the massacre at Virginia Tech university on April 16th, as the nation mourned a fresh springtime crop of young lives cut short by a psychopath's bullets, President George Bush and those vying for his job offered their prayers and condolences ... more.

The Economist - 19 April 2007