Time to retire retirement? Should you stop working at a certain age? Whose decision it? Would you like to be able to retire but cannot? See Tom’s blog here.
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Can there be such thing as a moderate extremist? Is Obama right to suggest that moderate Taliban can be brought on side? Is it worth a try?
This writer is a little sceptical…
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Is denial the biggest hurdle in the fight against climate change?
Is denial a kind of mental illness as this writer suggests? Or do you agree with the sceptics?
Climate change sceptics are at least honest in their refusal to accept the evidence. The really damaging denialism is that of our political leaders who talk of the need for action but keep finding excuses not to take it.
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BBC World Have Your Say 
By whose standards are the Taliban ‘extreme’? Those of a liberal Westerner. Judged by their own standards – Sharia and the Koran – the Taliban are not extreme: they are simply orthodox Muslims. That was the indirect point being made in the article you linked to. But this is something liberals, like the writer, dare not openly admit, for fear of the implications of such an admission: that the Taliban have a perfect right to resist Western invaders and to restore Islamic rule in Afghanistan, in accordance with the country’s traditions.
The whole ‘moderate Muslim’ thing is a fantasy generated by Western liberals to insulate themselves from unpleasant realities (like that other favourite of theirs, ‘Islamist’ and ‘Islamism’). It’s only natural that an uber-liberal like Obama buys into this. The only pity is that real lives are being sacrificed in order to shore- up a fictitious world-view.
Christopher Booker is well-known as a sceptic on global warming. The article of his that you linked to mocked the hysteria, intolerance and self-righteousness of the supporters of climate change, some of whom now want its denial to be classified as a mental illness.
Climate change is one of several positions espoused by those on the liberal-left of the political spectrum which, like the others, is defended as often by abuse and emotion as by argument.
I don’t know who’s right about climate change. I’d like to hear the arguments for and against. I don’t want to see one side routinely given a platform to air its arguments (and prejudices), while the other side is not even acknowledged to exist rationally, and only recognised in public debate when it comes to establishing whether their views are just a form of insanity. The right description for that isn’t ‘debate’: it’s character assassination.
hello again
As far as I know the earth has been subject to many climate changes. Ice ages and heat ages that have succeeded each other. I don’t know who was responsible for all the others but it looks like humans are landed fairely and squarely with the responsibility for this one.
I zapped onto Intelligence squared on BBC World the other day.One speaker said that throughout existence species have had to adapt to changing conditions and this process will continue with or without humans. I was very impressed, and relieved to think that after all I may not be responsible for the demise of our planet. In future I shall pretend that my navel does not exist.
Jim
Climate Change
I still side with Lance Armstrong, who said, “Get on the bike, America”. The best thing ANYBODY has said, so far!
While these people are meeting to be skeptical,at the Guardian writes, there is another meeting going on in Copenhagen this weekend, where different Universities are meeting to kick-start the UN Climate Conference in December. The University of Copenhagen is the host of this conference.
Being a person who lives on a low-lying area, I cannot move to a mountain if a Tsunami or a Hurricane Katrine hits. Therefore, I have to listen to the people who tell me about climate change. Us poor people are the ones who will be affected most. Some rich people may lose a beach house, but they are insured. I have to hit the road on my bicycle to Sweden if there is some kind of catastrophe and where I live, that takes some preparation. I cannot afford to be skeptical, since it might cost me my life.