There is a lot of controversy over a proposal to build a “mosque” in New York city near the site of the September 2001 New York Trade Centre bombing. If ever there was an argument fraught with opportunity for narrow-minded and partisan thinking then this is it. It involves religion, nationalist pride and hubris, international power plays, sound-bite argument and opinions…
The previous post discussed some of the broader issues surrounding the attempt by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett (No’s 2 & 3 world’s most wealthy individuals respectively) to encourage other billionaires to pledge to give away the bulk of their wealth if not by the time they die then on their death. The post queried the role of taxes and…
What is the financial cost of existing in a society? Is there a limit to what that cost can or should be? Is there a point at which you have paid ‘enough’? There are social costs that are either more or less obvious, such as a requirement to comply with laws, statutes, and regulations. There are unwritten social laws that…
Where are the soldiers of the Fourth Estate when you really need them? For those unaware of the happenings in the Centre of the Civilised Universe, there is an election campaign currently under way here in Australia. And the specifics of this particular election are generating an awful lot of material for the next 10 years of stand-up comedy sketches.…